The Gem of Time
by Nick Foolery
Summary: Link had finally defeated the Demon King Ganon, and Hyrule was at peace at last. Or at least, that's what they thought.
1. Peace

**WHY HELLO THERE! My, I don't think we've met! Hi! I'm Nick Write! Welcome to this story I have for you all! Now, I've actually rewritten this several different times, because I've never been really satisfied with it. But I think I finally have it. So, my fellow bookworms, I suppose all I have to say now is...READ ON!**

Across Hyrule, there echoes a legend. The legend of a boy, who traveled through time on a perilous journey to save his home. Over this quest, the boy advanced from boyhood, to manhood, and became a reveered warrior, and known hero. He had saved Hyrule from the Demon King Ganon, and finally returned overall peace to Hyrule. After he finished the demon off, and the Sages sealed him into the sacred realm, the ominous clouds slowly cleared away, and the sun was shown once again. The Castle, and Castle Town, however, was in shambles, and before the people of Hyrule could move back in, that had to be fixed. So Zelda gathered the best mages in the Kingdom, and he first act as Queen was to have the city restored to its former glory. A few days, and many tired mages later, the entirety of Hyrule Castle had been rebuilt. The citizens of Hyrule all had gathered in the square for Zelda to be crowned. Link had remembered the day vividly. In fact, he was also celebrated, for being the one to save it all. He quietly accepted the praise, trying his hardest not to blush, and listened as Zelda gave her speech. Everyone had been so full of happiness. Finally, they had some peace. As you know, however, no story can ever have a truly happy ending, can they?

 **Three Months Later...**

Queen Zelda loved the outdoors with all of her heart. So, in her free time, she would pick up a book and go sit in her garden, or she'd simply head out to get some fresh air. She especially enjoyed when Link would show up, bringing her small things from the forest, like Deku Nuts, or once, a baby Deku Baba. It was actually quite cute. Today was no different. The young Queen laid back in her garden, skimming over some of the old books in from the library. She happily smiled, looking over to the warrior laying in the grass, hat covering his eyes.

" Hey Link! You up?"

He grunted in response, holding up a small thumbs up, not changing his position. She sighed. For the savior of the world, he was awfully lazy in his off time.

" Why don't you come over and read with me? You might actually enjoy it."

Link waved his hand." I'm good, milady."

Zelda pouted, glaring at the Green Clad Hero.

" Come on Link. And stop calling me milady. You're on just a high a rank as I am, O mighty Hero of Time."

Link simply snorted, and rolled over, ignoring the Queen as she poked fun. She sighed.

" You're no fun Link."

Link shrugged." I don't think I ever was."

Zelda shrugged." True enough I suppose."

They sat in silence for about half an hour, before Link suddenly rose. He looked around, and sharp look in his eyes.

" Milady, there's something wrong. Do you feel it?"

Zelda set her book down, and concentrated. He was right. It was like the very life in the Earth was being drained from it, somewhere nearby. He pulled out the Ocarina, and held it gingerly.

" It's the forest. I will return shortly, milady."

Zelda sighed, and rose, packing her books into her bag, and turning to Link.

" Be careful out there, Hero."

Link gave a small smile." Of course."

He brung the Ocarina to his lips, playing a high, energetic tune, and green lights began to swirl around him, and soon he was gone from where he was.

As soon as he arrived in the meadow, he noticed something was off. Everything was silent. Not even the echo of Saria playing her song from somewhere in the Lost Woods could be heard. That was troublesome. The Hero quickened his pace, traveling through the meadow with relative ease, and heading into the Lost Woods, making an immediate right turn, arriving in the Kokiri Village, where his worst fears were confirmed. The entire village was empty, no one walking around, or hanging out, but instead there was unsettling silence, and no movement from any living creature. That's when he noticed the grass on the ground. He bent down to get a closer look, gently touching the almost gray blades, to which they crumbled into nothing. He looked around again, noticing that all the plants were dying. Confused, Link ran to the Great Deku Tree's grotto. The tree had grown, being about Link's height now, but he wasn't holding on well.

" Link? Is that you?"

His voice was low, and Link nodded.

" What happened here?"

The tree slowy twisted, looking deeper in the forest.

" It's somewhere deeper. There's something draining the forest of its life. Saria went to look, but she didn't come back. Then, several of the others left after her. Soon, the Village was empty."

Link clenched his fist." I'll go look, Great Deku Tree."

The tree gave a weak version of his normal grin." Thank you, Link. Please save the forest one more time."

Link nodded, and ran in the direction that the Deku Tree had motioned to, not paying attention as the tree began to loose his color faster.

" If only that were possible..."

Link hadn't been running long at all before all of the plant life had disappeared, and everything was soil and rock. Link shuddered. The forest was begining to look more like Death Mountain the further along he went. He was angry about this. Something was destroying his home, and he was determined to find out who. Suddenly, he heard the whirr of machinary. Confused, he slowed his pace, slowly making his way to the sound, where he saw where the sound was coming from. Huge drill like things on huge legs shambled from place, drilling holes in the ground in an odd pattern. Putting two and two together, Link inferenced that these weird machines were the reason that the forest was getting drained. Thinking for a moment, he pulled out his bow, and knocked an arrow. Releasing it at the machine, it hit the midsection, but harmlessly richocheted off of it. Growling, Link had a better idea. He pulled on his Golden Gauntlets, grinning as they shined in the light, and he made his way to the first drill thing that he saw. Grabbing it by the legs, he yanked the machine out of the ground, holdng it up with ease, and slamming it into another drill, breaking them both in the process. This started a chain reaction of drills slamming into eachother, and destroying themselves. Suddenly, all of them collapsed, without being hit or anything, after which, Link heard a distinctively feminine voice.

" HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WHAT ARE YOU?"

He spun around, confronted by a green tinted person, with odd, triangle shaped hair, who was glaring angrily at the mess of parts and broken machinery.

" You look a lot like those pesky little insects that came by here earlier. Don't make me end you like I ended them!"

Link knew who she was talking about, and pulled out his sword in defiance.

" I won't let you get away with destroying my home and family."

The person laughed, reaching towards a triangle shaped gemstone on her chest, and pulled out a mace, and began to swing it around, a grin on her face. Link simply stayed stone faced, and pulled out his Biggoron's Sword, the length surprising the woman. However, she still tried to get Link, who easily batted her weapon away with his two handed greatsword. She looked over and back, only for a sword to be pointed at her stomach. She looked a bit sheepish.

" Now hey, lets talk about thi-"

Link jabbed the sword into her midsection, and she disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving only the gemstone behind. He picked it up, looking at it closely.

" It's not a rupee. Maybe Zelda knows what it is..."

He pocketed the gemstone, and pulled out the Ocarina, and quickly played the Requiem of Light, teleporting to the Temple Of Time. Waisting no time, he hurriedly went back into the castle, and quickly making his way to the throne room, to which Zelda was reading something, while sipping a cup of tea.

Link's deep, and not used often voice rung out." Milady."

Zelda, startled, almost dropped her, tea, and looked up.

" Link, did you find out what it is?"

Link nodded." There was some odd machines in the forest, draining it of all life. I disabled them, and then some woman came out, threatinging me. She killed all of the Kokiri. I easily took care of her, but all she left behind was the gem. I believe it's enchanted, because she was able to pull her weapon from it."

Zelda was given the gem stone, and she held it gently. Studying it, she nearly dropped it.

" By all means, it seems like a normal peridot. But for some reason, it feels as if the stone itself is alive, or like something is incubating inside of it."

Link looked at the gem, also confused." That is odd. I wonder what could be in there that is causing such a reaction."

Suddenly, the light began to shine with a bright light. It floated out of Zelda's hands, and took shape of the woman Link had sworn he'd killed. She landed on the ground with a pant, and Link was immediately at her throat with the Master Sword, which was much shorter than his previous one, but just as effective. She held her hands up in surrender, and yelled out in a panic.

" Wait! I can be usefull to you! Don't kill me again!"

Link eased up, but not by much. He glared icily at the woman, who seemed very nervous.

" What can you help with?"

She almost looked relieved." Back where we were, that was a Kindergarten. Go there and you can destroy the gems that will emerge. Just find a way to bust each gem, and you'll be fine. If you let me live, I'll report back to my diamond that there were several injector failures, and that the planet was unfertile. You just have to let me go."

Link stared at her." Why should I."

The woman looked frustrated." So you don't have several super trained soldiers knocking on your doorstep!"

Link looked conflicted. On one hand, she could be lying, but on the other, she could be telling the truth. Link had never been really good at reading people. That was Malon's foreplay. He sighed, giving in and sheathing his sword.

" Okay, but you can't leave here. I will go back and destroy the gems.

The woman nodded stiffly."O-of course!"

Link walked away, and Zelda turned to her new prisoner.

" So what's your name?"

Link looked at the shattered remains of gems that laid at his feet, wiping the sweat off of his brow.

" Ok, so she wasn't lying. Good."

He had spent a good two hours digging up and shattering each and every last one of the gems. He nodded, satisfied, and pulled out his Ocarina, once again heading to the Temple of Time.

When the Hero of Time arrived, he noticed that something was off. That eeiree silence was back, and his connection that he had with Farore was very weak here.

That meant death.

He sprinted outside, seeing Castle Town in flames once again, giving him a sick feeling in his stomach, and a little bubble of anger bursting and spreading throught him. He noticed the littered corpses of Hyrulian citizens, littered across the ground, and his pace quickend, until he was in a full sprint to the castle. All the guards were dead, and as he got closer and closer to the castle, he became more and more worried that they had gotten to the Queen.

He slammed the Throne Room doors open, rushing inside to the mass that was laying on the floor, a pool of blood around her. On his knees, in under a second, he felt for a pulse.

Nothing.

Frustrated, he shoveled through his bag, but before he could pour anything out, he was grabbed from behind. Twisting, he got out of the person's arms, and drawing the Master Sword and his Mirror Sheild. A gem soldier stood in front of him, bright pink, holding a sword and a sheild as well. Link grinned. Rushing forward, he clashed swords with the pink soldier, for some odd reason, wearing a dress. They exchanged a few more slashes, before the soldier jumed way back.

" I see that you are very skilled. Your life will be spared."

Link growled, and came running, but something hit his neck before he could attack again, and the world went black.

 **AAAAAAAAAAAAND THAT'S A WRAP! Thanks for checking me out, and I hope you liked it! There was going to be more, but it got late, and it's sorta hard to talk to someone on facebook, and do this at the same time. So I basically cut this in half, and the next chapter will (or should) be next Monday. If you like what you read, please follow, favorite, and review, it is appreciated, remember to make sure the coast is clear before CPR, and as always...**

 **See You On The Flip Side~Nick Write**


	2. Welp, There it Goes!

**HELLO EVERYONE! Nick Write, returning with the 2nd chapter of Gem of TIme! Hey, how are y'all? I do believe that this is what I'd call, on schedule! Now, since I'm only two chapters in, you don't know the suffering that is the schedule to me. I almost never follow it. But I'm getting better! Knock on wood. Yeah, uh, this is pretty much the second part of the prolouge. The rest of the crew should be coming in the next chapter. Hope that exites you. But for now, my fellow bookworms...READ ON!**

The first thing that Jade saw when she was reformed, was white, followed by pink, then followed by several silouhettes of figures. She rubbed her eyes, letting her vision clear, one of the Peridots there writing on a clipboard.

" Jade. Facet 1F2L Cut 1XG."

Without thinking, she immediatley came to attention, heels together, and hands cupped at her sides. The Peridot nodded, and wrote something else on her board. She turned to the huge pink figure in the back.

" The experiment was a success, my diamond."

Diamond? Is that who she was? Pink Diamond. The name seemed familiar, but Jade couldn't think of where she had heard it. The peridot moved out of the way, allowing this Pink Diamond to step forward, and she knelt down to get a good look at her. She looked her over, and turned to the peridot.

" You're sure that the gem flawlessly fused with it?"

The peridot nodded hastily." O-of course, my diamond. They are permanently fused."

Pink Diamond looked back." Good. It seems that the organic life on this planet won't be completely useless."

She rose, picking up Jade in her hand as she did. She looked over to the much smaller gem.

" Fascinating, is it not?"

She held Jade up to a mirror, showing her how she looked. It was odd, to say the least. Both the peridot, and Pink Diamond seemed more, dainty. She had wide shoulders, and a strong build. She seemed to be wearing some sort of fabric over her natural body, and a layer of what seemed to be steel in between them both. It was quite interesting. She looked back to the tall figure, who gave a small smile, before setting her down.

" Peridot. Take her to the quartz chambers."

The peridot nodded hastily, and grabbed Jade by the arm, quickly exiting the room. She waited until they were far away, before she almost completely broke down.

" OH MY STARS THAT WAS STRESSFUL."

She looked over to the Jade, who was still very confused. She grinned.

" I can't believe that worked. And they said a Peridot couldn't do anything but work with machines. Ha! I showed them!"

She continued walking." Come on, the Quartz Quarters are this way."

She walked behind the Peridot, who kept exitedly chattering about how she showed everyone, and how she was the best Peridot in a thousand years. Jade simply listened, deciding not to ask her any questions.

Not long had passed, and Jade had already been assigned a place in the quarters, among the other gems. Mostly consisting of purple gems, Amethysts, orange gems, Jaspers, and a few pink gems, Rose Quarts', the green gem stood out a little. One of the Rose Quartz approached her, a warm smile on her face.

" Hello there! I haven't seen a Jade in here in a long time."

Suddenly, her head began to spin, visions of fire, and destruction, a lone Rose Quartz standing feet away from her. She looked to the Rose Quartz in front of her.

 _'It's not her'_ A voice echoed in her head. And it was right. This Rose had a gem on her shoulder. The one in her vision clearly had her's on her stomach. By now, the Rose Quartz in front of her was confused, and slightly nervous. Jade smiled quickly.

" Hello!"

The Rose Quartz nodded, and walked away without another word. Quickly, Jade's smile fell. Looking around, she noticed that all the Rose Quartz gems had different gems in different places, and even vaired in shape and size. She sighed. Finding the Rose Quartz she had seen in the vision might not be that hard.

She looked around for about half an hour, making her search seem like mingeling, to seem unsuspiscious. After she had met every quartz in the area, and not finding the Rose Quartz, she went back to her assigned positon. Suddenly, as she was returning to her quarters, she heard the door open, and another Rose Quartz walked through. Her gem on her stomach, tall, wide built. That was her. Unsuspicsiously, she made her way to the Rose Quartz. She tapped the other gem on the shoulder, and when she turned and looked down to the smaller gem, her confused face changed from fear, and then quickly to an uncomfortable smile.

" Hello. I don't believe we met?"

Jade held out her hand, her voice coming out deeper than intended.

" Jade."

The Rose Quartz grabbed her hand, and shook, a smile on her face.

" Rose."

Suddenly, Jade's vision blacked out.

She awoke in a pitch black room. Only her, and another figure far away could be seen. She walked over, and noticed that it was her, or rather, her body. The figure turned.

" I am not you."

The figure's voice rumbled, shaking the gem to her very soul. The figure brought up a mirror, allowing Jade to see herself now. She was taller, more widely built, with wild, short green hair. She was more feminine, like Pink Diamond, but didn't seem as dainty as the Peridot. She looked like the quartz she was supposed to be. Her old body brought the mirror down, and stared at her.

" You stole my consciousness. I am Link."

He held his hand out. This seemed all to familiar. She returned his shake.

" Jade."

Suddenly, they switched. She didn't notice before, but there were dark shackles around his feet. They dropped off of him, and attached themselves onto her. He smiled a little, slightly bringing his foot up and down. He looked back to her.

" I probably won't be very long."

He rose into the air, and the world went white.

When Link returned to his body, he was still shaking the Rose Quartz's hand. He looked up to the grinning Rose, smile gone, stare boring into her. She noticed the change, and let go quickly. It was the eyes. They were green just a moment ago, but now they held the same sky blue of the owner before. The inhabitant of the planet she had fought prior. He was snarling, hand on his gem, and he pulled out the same sword and sheild he had before. He stood tall with them, glaring at Rose.

" Where. Where am I?"

By now, the other quartz soldiers had backed away, watching intently as the new gem made his way to the Rose Quartz that outshined the rest of them. Some were confused, while others snickered.

" That newbie couldn't beat her. She's the best soldier we've got."

Rose, who was still backing away, stopped, and pulled out her sword and sheild as well, a determined look written across her face. Without a word, she rushed forward, swinging in a wide arc at the hylian-turned-gem, who easily blocked the attack. A shockwave resonated throught the area, knocking down the first row of soldiers that were watching the fight take place. Surprised, the quartz noticed the confident smirk on the hylian's face. He brougt his sword up, with surprising strength, knocking Rose into the air. He jumped into the air, spun, and brough the blunt side of his sword down onto her, slamming her into the floor below. She rose unsteadily, and he gracefully landed on his feet, pointing his sword at her.

" Surrender."

Rose was confused. He was asking her to surrender, but he was surrounded by at least 100 quartz gem soldiers, all expertley trained in fighting. She kept her weapons raised.

" Why would I yeild when I've got enough reinforcements to take you down in an instant?"

Link looked around, mildly surprised.

" Oh, that's right."

Suddenly, he did a series of strange motions, and slammed his fists in the ground, a ball of fire erupting from him, and poofing half the gems from its sheer heat. Rose looked shocked, while Link looked slightly inconveininced.

" How about now?"

Rose looked around. She couldn't just give up. So, she did the one thing she knew how to do.

Lead an army.

With sword pointed out, she yelled.

" Attack the traitor!"

Link looked around, as all the quartz soldiers listened to their leader. He cursed. Din's Fire still needed time to recharge, and he hadn't had any points to Farore's Wind travel to. Nayru's Love would only last so long. So, he simply stuck to what he had. Spinning around, he cut down a few soldiers. But it wasn't enough. As they kept coming, he kept swinging and blocking. Both sides showed no signs of giving in.

But then he got careless.

One good blow on his hand, knocking his sword out of his hand, and he had no more offense. He held his sheild in front of him, but as he went to get his sheild, they managed to get past his defenses. The pulled him out, as he struggled to break free, with no avail. Presented in front of the Rose Quartz that he had fought once before, he glared.

" Why destroy something that was fought so hard for in order to preserve? What do you get out of destroying my home?"

His voice was low, but it echoed in the room deeply. Rose Quartz hesitated.

" I...I am under orders from Pink Diamond to colonize this planet Earth."

Link growled." Yes, but what do you get out of it? Don't you have free will?"

Rose was silent. Link sighed.

" I see. All of you are mindless pawns, working under the whims of some higher athority. Pathetic. Why do all this, when you could decide for yourself?"

Rose stayed silent, as some of the other quartzes snickered about defying their perfect rulers.

" You can't hide it."

Rose swung her sword across, causing the hylian's body to retreat into the gem. She sighed, and picked up the oval-shaped gemstone, and held it in front of her. He couldn't have been right.

Right?

When Pink Diamond found out about the experiment going rouge, she wasn't happy. She had the peridot in charge of it shattered, and the gem itself placed under safekeeping. The gem was more powerful than anything they had. So she placed it as a power source in the heart of her ship, where it would never be removed, or returned to consciousness. She sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. Perhaps colonizing the rest of this planet would go smoother for her.

Link was back in the black void before he knew it. Angry, Jade sat there, arms crossed.

" You left me here."

Link snorted." Welcome to my world."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, before Jade spoke up.

" Look here. While you were out there kicking ass and not taking names, I remembered who I was before they fused us together."

Link looked over, curious. She continued.

" I was a soldier, as if that wasn't obvious. But I wasn't under Pink Diamond. I served White Diamond, the strongest of the four diamond sisters. However, I realized that us colonizing was destroying organic life." She turned to Link." They laughed at me. I was just a soldier, all I did was fight and train all the time. The life didn't have emotions or feelings or anything like that. It wasn't sentient."

She scoffed." Look where that thinking got them."

" It was a wonder I wasn't shattered when I defected from my core. Maybe it was because I was in a low position, I dunno. But they decided to keep my gem around. Most likely for harvesting. Well, I don't know how Pink Diamond got her bloody hands on me, but now here we are."

Link nodded, and sighed." Well, I guess we'll be here for a while, so I'll tell you my story."

He turned to her, and sat in a simular position.

" It all started when a little fairy came and woke me up..."

 **AAAAAAAND THAT'S A WRAP! How'd you all like it? Was it good? Was it really good? Well, I have an idea of how Jade and Link are going to share his body, while he keeps her gem. I won't say much until later on, but I can give you a hint. Have you ever watched Soul Eater? Please remember to follow, favorite, and review, when you're fighting an extremely skilled swordsman, maybe yeild when he tells you to? Once again, I hoped you guys enjoyed it, and as always...**

 **See You On The Flip Side~Nick Write**


	3. We, are the Crystal Gems

**HELLO EVERYONE! Nick Write here, bringing you the 3rd chapter of Gem of Time! Hey, we're doing good! At least, I think so. So, guys. I know, there's only a few of you. But let's get exited! Finally. This is the chapter when Link finally meets the Crystal Gems! Whoo hoo! Also, why is there only three Steven Universe and Legend of Zelda crossovers? I think there should be more. Eh, in due time I guess. Well, my fellow bookworms...READ ON!**

Steven watched as the ocean calmed down, where the monstrous fusion that had been there a second ago, sunk down. Wide eyed, and mouth gaping, stared at the spot intensley. The other gems were also mocking this reaction. Well, except for Garnet. She just sorta ajusted her glasses and said something sassy along the lines of;

" Yikes, they're really bad for eachother."

So yeah, one could say that they had a pretty rough day. But it was finally over right?

Of course not!

Rustling could be heard in the flaming wreckage behind them, and the bruised and battered gems all spun around. A large peice of ruble came up, and a green figure could be seen. Garnet was the first to have her gloves on, followed by the rest of the gems also brandishing their weapons.

" Brace yourselves gems. It looks like Peridot!"

The mysterious gem threw the ruble away, and there was a soft glow from their gem, and hands, before they bent over, panting heavily.

" Thousands of years trapped in that Din forsaken gem, and I wake up under a pile of ruble. My luck's already gone bad."

The voice was clearly masculine, confusing the gems slightly, especially when another, much more feminine voice came from the gem on the figure's chest.

" Well, at least you get to walk around."

The figure scoffed." It's my body."

Garnet was seemingly tired of waiting, and stepped forward.

" You, reveal yourself. Who are you?"

The figure looked forward, seeing the Crystal Gems, and immediately got into a fighting stance.

" Oh look. More of them."

He looked in Steven's direction, and his eyes widened.

" Is that? Another Hylian?"

He turned and glared forward." You gems just don't learn, do you?"

He jumped up, landing in front of Garnet, and throwing a fist forward, clashing with her gloves. It was obviously a male, but he was also a gem, which was odd. Didn't they all pop out as female? Steven didn't have time to question it, before he stepped forward.

" Woah woah woah! Everyone needs to stop fighting!"

The man paused, visibly confused at the hybrid's words. In his pause, Garnet punched him in the stomach, knocking him back. He flew up, doing a backflip in midair, and landing on his feet, coughing up a little bit of liquid that was hard to see in the lighting and fire. He growled.

" Jade. Sword and shield please."

His gem glowed, and a double-edged sword, along with a kite shield formed. He grabbed them, and spun in a circle, cutting down the first thing in his path.

Which just happened to be Amethyst.

She burst into a cloud of smoke, all that was left was her gem. Looking down, the man brought up his boot, and began to bring it down on top of her gem. Panicking, he mustered up the last bit of his energy, and threw his sheild forward, covering the gem. When his boot hit the top of the shield, he looked over to the boy, who was panting heavily, and then back at the shield again. He took a step back, and dropped his sword and shield. They disappeared in a flash of green, and he put a hand to his forhead, running his hand through his hair.

" Another one. I didn't think they'd be able to do it twice."

Since he stopped, both Garnet and Pearl took it as a good time to rush him. Both of them ran at him, and he just stared at Steven. The boy rose up, and made his way forward.

" STOP!"

Everyone stopped dead in thier tracks. Steven was panting, holding a hand up to signify that he needed a moment. When he was all good, he rose back up.

" Can't we just talk like civilized people? We just destroyed a space ship for crying out loud. I miss my bed."

The two gems seemed reluctant, but they nodded nontheless. Soon after, Amethyst also reformed, gasping as she did so. The man rose, and held his hands up.

" Ok then."

It wasn't long, before all five were sitting in the living room in Steven's house. Link was sitting by the window, staring at the wreckage that they had just came from, while the rest of the gems were trying to figure out how to deal with him. Pearl watched him carefully, turning to the tall fusion sitting beside her.

" Well, he isn't attacking us. What should we do."

Garnet was quiet." I'm not sure..."

Amethyst was laying on the table, eating a tub of mayonaise." I say we beat him up!"

The man was ignoring her, but the two still shushed her nontheless. Steven was also quiet, watching the figure closely. Seeing that this was going nowhere, he stood up, and walked over to him. The man glanced over.

" Hi! I'm Steven. What kind of gem are you?"

He looked over, and then back out the window.

" I'm not a gem. Call me Link."

Steven was confused, and pointed to the gemstone embedded in his chest.

" What about that?"

Link looked down." That's Jade."

The gemstone glowed softly, and a small ball of green light came floating out, small wings on its back, allowing it to move around.

" I'm Jade. Link and I have to share his body."

Steven's eyes widened, stars showing in them.

" Wow! I have a gem to!"

He lifted up his shirt, revealing a Rose Quartz embedded where his belly button would've been. Jade looked surprised.

" Uh. Link, I think you may want to see this."

He glanced over, seeing the Rose Quartz gem, and almost falling out his chair. He stared at it closely, before regaining his composure.

" I know that gem. I knew that Rose Quartz."

Steven seemed slightly nervous." You knew my mom?"

Link rose an eyebrow." Mom? A gem gave birth to you?"

Steven nodded." Yeah, her and my dad found a way."

Link nodded. He looked to the gems that had failed to notice that Steven had walked over, and began to walk to them. He grabbed a chair, and plopped in it, looking at the gems.

" So. There is some explaining that needs to be done."

Garnet looked at him with the same neutral expression, while the other two looked around nervously.

" Yes. There is. Who are you."

Link looked at them." I'm Link." He jabbed a thumb to the green ball." This is Jade. She's the gem, and I'm the rest of it."

Amethyst was confused." So is he like Steven?"

Garnet shook her head." No. He's part of a very old experiment that never worked all that well. Trying to turn organic life into gem soldiers"

Amethyst nodded, and Link watched them closely.

" Ok then, who are you?"

Steven held a hand up." I've got this one."

He pulled out a small ukelele, and began to strum on it.

" _We, are the Crystal Gems, we'll always save the day. And if you think we can't, we'll always find a way. That's why the people of this world, believe in._

 _Garnet,_

 _Amethyst,_

 _and Pearl,_

 _AND STEVEN!"_

Link cracked a small smile at the boy, while he pointed to each respective gem. Pearl was the tall one, white tinted, with a long, birdlike nose. Amethyst was the purple one, a kind of gem he had seen many times. Although, this one seemed a little small compared to what he remembered. Then was Garnet. She seemed like the leader of the little ragtag group of gems. She was the strong, quiet type. Much like Link in a way. Link trusted her the least. His musings were interrupted, when Garnet spoke up.

" What were you doing on the ship?"

Link looked back at the ruble.

" I was powering the ship. You know, like a sort of energy source. Drained of energy, because I can build it back up so quickly. I guess when you crashed the thing, it dislodged me, and set me free. Why are you three here?"

Garnet looked up to the picture above the door, framing the Rose Quartz that Link had fought once.

" 5000 years ago, a rebellion started amongst the gems, lead by Rose Quartz. We successfully drove off Homeworld then, but not at the expense of several other Crystal Gems."

Link nodded." So you protect Earth."

All of them nodded.

Link leaned back in his chair." I don't like it, but I'll trust you."

The gems all seemed to sigh in relief, and then Steven looked up, a huge grin on his face.

" Awesome! New friends!"

Link gave a small smile at the young boy." New friends."

Jade flew around Link's head, and sat on his hat.

" Heh, I like this kid already."

Steven grinned at Link." You can sleep on my couch! Cool huh?"

Link nodded." I've slept in much less forgiving places."

Steven never stopped smiling, suddenly, a chime began to play in Steven's pocket. He pulled out a small device, and looked at the front of it.

" Oh, it's Connie! Hold on, I got to take this."

He walked over to the front porch, talking on his little box. The gems had left the couch already, so Link plopped on it. Oh how long it had been since he had a good nights sleep.

And sleep he did.

 **AAAAAAAAAND THAT'S A WRAP! This chapter isn't as lively as the other ones, sorry. It's more of an introductory thing anyway. That way we can start plotting it up in this his-ouse. Ok, I'll never say that again. Well, please Follow, Favorite, and Review. Remember, if some guy has a sword, and he's about to do a spin attack, get out of the way. And as always...**

 **See You On The Flip Side~Nick Write**


	4. Sworn to the Sword

**HELLO EVERYONE! Nick Write here, bringing you the 4th chapter of Gem of Time! Whoo, so Link finally met the Crystal Gems. And no one trusts eachother. Save for Steven, of course. Everyone likes Steven. This chapter was pretty hard for me to decide on an episode, considering that we just left off with Jailbreak. So, I decided to just skip ahead to Sworn to the Sword. Yeah, I know I skipped a few episodes, but I just couldn't think of something good to include Link in. Well, Sworn to the Sword is perfect. I hope you enjoy, my fellow bookworms...**

 **READ ON!**

Link layed on the roof of the small house built on the side of the gem's temple, absorbing sunlight. Jade floated above his hat, scoffing.

" For a so called savior of Earth, you sure do like to laze about."

Link shrugged." I don't see any threats around here, do you? Besides, I'm fully aware of my surroundings. If something happens, I'll know."

Jade scoffed." You just like to brood."

Link shrugged again." That is also true."

Jade shook her tiny head, and went back into the gem, leaving Link alone with the rest of nature. Of course, it wasn't completely quiet. He could hear the voices of Steven and his friend Connie above him, having a picnic in the hand of the temple statue. Thanks to his super Hylian hearing, he could make out what they were saying pretty clearly. It was a song of sorts, that Steven boy being quite the musician he had to admit, so he wasn't to concerned. They laughed, before beginning to eat. Link smiled a little, reminiscing about his days back in the Kokiri Forest with Saria. He stopped for a moment. If only it could've lasted. He heard a cry of distress from Steven, inturrupting his thoughts. He looked up quickly, seeing that they were being surrounded by seagulls. He sighed, and sat back down. He didn't stop listening though. He heard as Connie drove the gulls away, and Steven praised her skill.

" Whoa Connie, that was awesome! You saved my lunch, but sadly, it isn't safe from me!"

He ate the rest of the sandwhich, while Connie giggled, a small blush forming on her cheeks.

" Yeah, just some stuff I learned from Tennis Practice."

Steven was amazed." It's like you were sword fighting!"

They laughed, before Steven abruptly stopped.

" Wait! What if you actually WERE swordfighting!?"

Connie looked surprised, then was quiet.

" But how would I learn?"

Steven's eyes got bigger, stars shining in them.

" We could ask Pearl! She can teach you!"

Connie's eyes lit up as well. " Steven! That's a great idea!"

They both quickly ate thier lunch, and hopped on the warp pad that was built there, going back into the temple. Link was intrigued by the conversation, deciding to go down and hear how it would turn out. He jumped down to the porch, and stepped in, just as the two were running to the white gem.

" Pearl! Pearl!"

She looked over from what she was doing.

" Yes Steven?"

He gestured towards his friend." Connie wants to learn to sword fight! Can you teach her?"

Pearl looked at the girl, a small frown on her face." She's human, and a little young. I don't know..."

Link scoffed internally. He'd been much younger. But he didn't say anything. Connie stepped up, a deterimined look on her face.

" Please ma'am! I want to learn! Steven told me what's been going on, and I want to protect my home, and my loved ones!"

Pearl was taken aback, and nodded." Ok then. I'll teach you."

The kids cheered, but Pearl stopped them.

" Now now, this is a serious matter. We need the right attitude if you want to become proper knights!"

Link walked over, startling Pearl when he spoke up.

" I would like to see this."

Pearl looked over, a nervous look on her face.

" Ok then...?"

Link didn't clarify, and simply followed them to the warp pad, letting Pearl activate it and take them to where they needed to be. They arrived in what seemed to be an areana, Connie and Steven laughing and joking, while Pearl looked at them disaprovingly.

" This is serious."

The calmed down, a little giggle escaping here and there, while Link stayed silent. They walked into the arena, and Pearl turned to the two.

" Connie, this is where I was first introduced to the concept of Knighthood. Giving everything that you are for someone else. To serve a purpose."

Link sat in the bleachers, listening closely to Pearl.

" Before we begin, we start with a bow, first to your teacher, then to your leige."

Connie bowed, and then turned to Steven, grinning.

" My liege."

Steven bowed back, and they both began to giggle. Link smirked, and Pearl got their attention. She and Connie began the lesson, Pearl giving the basics of using it first. She had discipline that was for sure, maybe a little too much though. She had the girl stiff as a board. Link walked down to the smiling boy, and stood beside him.

" Isn't it cool?"

He looked down to the beaming boy, who was watching the lesson unfold.

" Isn't so cool that Connie is learning to sword fight?"

Link looked back." Maybe. I'll have to watch them a bit longer."

Pearl looked down on the girl, watching as she practice her stance and movements.

" Very good Connie. Presise and graceful."

She smiled." Thank you ma'am."

Link had a bad feeling about this. Why wasn't she also teaching Steven? He had much more fighting capabilities than the girl. Perhaps he would ask.

Later that day, once they had finished up, Link went up to Pearl as the other two happily discussed the training session.

" What is it."

Pearl didn't look extatic to see him, but Link ignored her light glare.

" Why not train the boy? He's just as capable, if not more so than the girl."

Pearl scoffed." Steven's too important to have on the battlefield."

Link raised an eyebrow." It wouldn't hurt to train him."

Pearl looked at the green clad gem, a condesending look on her face." What buisness do you have questioning my teaching? The girl is going to be a knight. You don't train leiges."

Link was extremely confused by the white gem's logic." Ok, so Steven learning to fight is a...bad thing?"

Pearl didn't say anything, and simply turned and walked away from Link. From the gem, Jade flew out, and perched on his shoulder.

" She's pretty salty about something."

Link nodded." Something's going on, and I'm determined to find out what it is."

The next day, Connie once again returned for training, Pearl finally practicing moves with her.

" Parry, Parry, Thrust."

The manatra droned on until the words were most likely embedded into the poor girls subconscious. She'd be hearing that for weeks. Steven still didn't see anything wrong with it, but Link was growing more and more suspicious of the white gem. Finally, she stood back, and summoned what seemed to be another version of her. Steven seemed slightly worried, and Link thought back to the Water Temple, where he fought his most difficult opponent. Himself.

" Are you ready Connie?"

The girl nodded." Yes ma'am."

The Fake Pearl stretched out her sword, and spoke in a monotone, robotic voice.

" Begginer, Level 0. Do you wish to begin?"

Link decided that they were most likely a bad idea if not handled properly. He sat at the base of the coliseum this time, watching closely with Steven. He turned to the boy.

"Do you want to learn how to fight also?"

Steven looked over, beaming." Do you think Pearl would take another student."

Link almost laughed." I don't think Pearl has the time to teach two of you. I thought I could pitch in."

Steven's eyes widened." You can teach me?!"

Link pulled out his double edged sword, a green out line in it, and the reflection of a face in it. The sword spoke.

" I'm not just for show, kid."

Steven was taken aback. He recognized the voice as Jade, but he didn't know that she was the sword. Link shrugged.

" We haven't practiced much like this, but I'm well versed in sword fighting."

Steven still amazed, realized that he was missing Connie's training. With one last nod to Link, he turned around.

" Yeah, I want to be a good fighter to!"

Link smirked, and allowed the other two to finish.

Once again after practice, Link confronted Pearl. She sighed in frustration.

" This isn't going to become a daily thing, is it?"

Link smirked." It won't if you hear me out."

She glared at him." I'm listening."

Link dropped the smirk, and got serious." Steven needs to know how to fight efficiently."

Pearl rolled her eyes." Not this again."

Link ignored her." So I will be taking him to show him how to be a proper warrior."

Pearl looked outraged." You will do nothing of the sort!"

Link glared at her." Then do something with him!"

She returned the glare." I won't"

Lightning flew between the two, their glares intensifying, before Link smirked.

" How about a friendly wager? I say that I go and train Steven for two weeks, and you continue your training with Connie. At the end of the two week period, we have them spar?"

Pearl was silent, contemplating the idea, before growling to herself.

" Fine. Deal."

The two shook hands, something Pearl seemed reluctant to do, and they returned to the temple.

The next day, Steven was awoken by Link at the crack of dawn, who had a determined look on his face.

" Come along. We have training to do."

Steven rubbed his eyes, rolling out of bed, and getting dressed. Link waited patiently, and once he was ready, arising himself.

" Do you know of a forest or similarly uninhabited area that we could use?"

Steven was quiet, thinking for a moment, before getting an idea.

" Actually, I know a perfect place!"

They boarded the warp pad, and transported to an uninhabited island, Steven grinning towards the curious green gem.

" Interesting. Stay here. I'm going to chart the area. I'll return for you when I'm done."

Steven nodded, and sat on the warp pad, silently thinking about what Connie might be doing with Pearl. During his thinking, he felt his eyes get heavy liden, and the world turned black.

Link looked around, pretty happy with the island. It was empty, and was a good size for his plan. The ocean surronded them for miles, and Link was amazed by the body. He'd never seen an ocean up closed. While he watched the waves, he noticed how they would get violent, but calm down soon after. A small tremor here and there also didn't go unnoticed, but it didn't effect his idea, so he ignored it for now.

" So." he put his hands together." I wonder if I can find a grove anywhere near."

Steven awoke when he felt a raindrop fall onto his closed eye. He squinted, opening them slightly, seeing the dark clouds cross the...night sky? It was early morning when they arrived. Had he slept that long? Where had Link gone? He arose from his position, and looked around. He was on the beach. He wasn't on the beach when he fell asleep. The half gem rubbed his temples, confused as to what was going on. He took a step forward, and noticed a small sword, and a wooden shield laying at his feet. He picked them up, looking at them oddly, before hearing something from behind him. He turned around, seeing a skeleton hobbling towards him, its overly large head missing a jaw. He yelped in fear, holding the sword and shield out in front of him. The skeleton paused momentarily, before continuing its advance. Steven swung the sword wildly, managing to hit the skeleton, and knock it into a pile of bones. It disappeared in a burst of fire, and Steven grinned proudly. His celebration was cut short, however, when two more of the skeletons popped out of the ground, hobbling towards him. He looked at them, frightened, and began to run.

" Ah! Why is there more of them?!"

He found a small cave, and ventured inside, the skeletons not following him in, oddly enough. As he walked inside, he noticed that the walls were lit with torches, and strange writings were covering them. When he had previously been on the island, he had never noticed this, so he was curious. He reached the end, and saw a mass of fur, seemingly sleeping, its fur rising and falling with each of its breaths. Steven took another step, accidently making a loud snapping noise, alerting the creature to his presence. It rose to its feet, snarling and growling at the boy, who backed away fearfully. It was obviously canine, but it didn't seem like a normal dog, or even any of the wolves he had seen in books. It jumped up towards them, and with a yell, he brought the shield up, the canine slamming face first into the wooden front. While it was disorientated, Steven decided to make a break for it, running back out the cave into...broad daylight. Now Steven was really confused. He sighed.

" What is going on!?"

During his small mental breakdown, he heard a tune being carried through the wind. He turned to the song, and began to walk in that direction. As the tune got louder, he noticed that the forest got thicker, before it disappeard completely. In the middle of the small grove, Link sat on a tree trunk, a strang instrument in his mouth, which was where the tune was originating. He stopped playing and turned to the boy.

" Hello there Steven."

He looked at the green gem confused." Link, what's going on."

The hero stood up, and walked over to Steven.

" Well, I had to asses your ability before we began, that way I can teach you accordingly. We will have to start from the basics, but I think you have great potential."

Steven stared at the gem, before grinning." Ok then, I guess I get it."

Link smiled." Good, we start for real tomorrow."

 **Two Weeks Later...**

Steven quickly downed a bowl of cereal, going up to Link, and waking the gem up.

" Hey, it's time to go train."

Link groggily opened his eyes." Huh? Oh, actually we are going with Pearl and Connie today for a special lesson. So, uh wait for them."

Steven's eyebrows rose." Special lesson?"

Link nodded, and waved him off." Yeah, you'll see later. When Connie arrives."

Steven nodded, and waited at the door for his friend to arrive. When she finally did, she happily greeted Steven, who smiled at the girl.

" Link told me that we are coming there to do a special lesson. I don't know what, but I'm exited!"

Connie was surprised as well." Pearl never said anything about a special lesson. Well I guess we should get it done as quickly as possible."

Steven nodded, and they both went into the small house, calling for Pearl, waking Link back up in the process.

" She's here? Good."

They all waited on Pearl, who came out, a smug look on her face.

" Come Connie."

Connie nodded, and followed in a neat, almost seemingly rehearsed way. Link and Steven simply walked upon the warp pad, and allowed Pearl to take them to where they need to go.

The Sky Arena.

They all went into the main building, Pearl and Connie going to one end, and Steven and Link going to the other. Link knealt down, facing Steven.

" You are going to enter in a little sparring contest with Connie. Remember what I've been teaching you the past two weeks.

He looked surprised." Wow, I get to fight Connie! I bet she'll beat me, easy!"

Pearl stared at the young girl." You will be sparring with Steven today."

Connie looked up, slightly confused.

" Isn't he supposed to be the one I'm protecting? Why would I spar with him?"

Pearl continued to look ahead." I made a deal."

Connie nodded, deciding not to question her further. Pearl and Link went to the bleachers, announcing the rules, and letting the match start. Steven and Connie circled around eachother, and watched eachother's moves carefull. Steven suddenly sprinted at the girl, adjusting himself so that his shield was taking all the hits, whil he waited for the perfect moment to strike. Steven was much less gracefull than Connie, but he had raw power to make up with that. He found an opening, and hit her with the flat of his blade. They continued to exchange blows, before Steven decided that he'd had enoung. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small nut, slamming it into the ground, causing it to emit a bright flashbang. While Connie was distracted, Steven found the perfect opportunity. He jumped on her, and put the blade to her throat.

Connie looked at the sword nervously." I yeild."

Steven breathed in relief, and started to giggle and laugh. Soon enough, Connie had also joined, and the two laughed happily. Pearl and Link watched closely.

" Well, I guess you win."

Link simply shrugged." I have an idea."

Pearl looked over to the man, a questioning look on her face.

" And what might that be?"

Link looked over.

" Let's just merge our classes."

Pearl nodded." Not a bad idea."

They turned back to the two, who were currently discussing thier training. Pearl grinned.

" Not a bad idea at all."

 **AAAAAAAAAND THAT'S A WRAP! Thank you all for reading, this chapter took FOREVER. I actually rewrote it, and this is the final product. I'd put more, but I'm very tired, and I've got crap to do. So, See Ya On The Flip Side guys.**


	5. Saria's Song

**HELLO EVERYONE! Nick Write here, and I'm a little tilted. I rewrote this chapter, then it deleted itself! Now I gotta do it again. Ugh, whatever. Welcome to the 5th chapter of Gem of Time! Yay, right? Fun stuff laid out for us today. Gotta do the write thing now. READ ON!**

Steven awoke from his slumber from a familiar tune echoing from the downstairs area. He arose from his bed, stretching and rubbing his eyes, and drowsily looking down. He saw Link, small instrument in hand, sitting in the windowsill. He hopped down from his bed, and made his way down, walking over to the green clad gem. The gem was so wrapped up in his music, that he didn't notice the half gem creeping up on him. Steven grinned, and tapped Link on the shoulder, who jumped and turned around quickly. He calmed down when he saw who it was, and looked at the boy, eyebrow raised.

" Yeah kid, what is it?"

Steven grinned." I heard your song. Did you make it?"

Link looked at his instrument, then chuckled.

" No, it was taught to me by a dear friend of mine."

Steven was curious." Dear friend?"

Link gave a small smile, and looked back out the window.

" Her name was Saria. I'd known her my whole life."

His smile dropped." She didn't survive the invasion either. But I suppose that it's all inevitable. Death, I mean."

He put the instrument away, and stared at the water as it lapped up against the shore. Steven looked down.

" To lose someone that close to you. You should talk with my dad sometime."

Link looked over, and and smiled at the boy's innocence.

" I'll be fine kid. I've survived this long, aye?"

Steven grinned, and at about the same time, the warp pad activated itself. The two looked over, and watched as the Crystal Gems emerged from the light. Pearl walked out, hands in her hair, frustrated.

" We just can't find Peridot! After we found her ship-"

Amethyst interrupted." Steven found it."

"-we know she's around here somewhere!"

Garnet simply walked over to the couch, and sat down.

" I think we need a break. We've been searching for Peridot for a few days strait. I could keep going, but I really don't want to."

Amethyst walked over, and also plopped herself down onto the couch.

" Yeah, I'm with Garnet."

Pearl looked over." I can't believe you two."

Amethyst grinned, and Garnet shrugged. Pearl sighed, and also came to sit down.

" I'll rest, but only shortly. There's no telling what Peridot will do to the Earth while she's running loose."

Link stood up." If you want her to be looked for, I could assist. I need to do something anyways."

The three looked over in confusion. Most of the time, Link didn't help them do their gem stuff. He usually sat quietly in the windowsill, explored on his own, or just slept on the couch. Steven's eyes lit up, and he followed the green clad gem.

" Link, Link! Can I come to?!"

Link shrugged." I don't see why not kid."

Steven cheered, and hopped on the warp pad with the the half Hylian. He looked up at him.

" Do you have any idea of where to search?"

Link looked down momentarily, before looking back forward.

" I do, actually."

As soon as he said this, the two disappeared in a flash of light.

When the warp pad cleared, Steven found himself in an unfamiliar area. Well, maybe unfamiliar wasn't exactly true. It looked just like the Kindergarten, save for the lush forest that surrounded it. Steven turned to Link, confused. Link looked just as surprised as he was, before giving a small smile.

" It worked..."

He didn't notice the confused boy, and stepped off the Warp Pad, and onto the dry and barren soil. He began to walk forward, and Steven quickly followed behind him.

" Link! Where are we?"

Link stopped momentarily, and turn to face the hybrid.

" We're at the first gem site on Earth. This is where it all began."

Steven now had even more questions now.

" You think Peridot could be here?"

Link shrugged." I said I had something to do anyway. Finding her here would be a bonus."

Steven nodded, and continued along with the gem. Then he stopped.

" Wait, what do you have to do here?"

Link turned to the boy who was patiently waiting for an answer. He sighed.

" Well, kid, you got me thinking. The Kindergarten that was built here was built over my old home thousands of years ago. I thought I'd come back to see if it had changed at all."

Steven looked up." Has it?"

Link shook his head." I guess the damage done here is permenant."

Steven sadly looked up the green clad gem. Jade emerged from the gem, circling around Link a few times, before taking a seat on the top of Link's head.

" The forest surrounding us is just as thick as you said it was."

Link shook his head." It isn't. I can sense it. The life goes a little ways, then stops, as if everything there has died as well. I don't want to see it."

Jade frowned a little, as well as Steven, but the two didn't say a word. Link continued to walk ahead, eyes closed, and mouth held tight. Soon, they walked upon a large flight of stairs, leading up to an old structure in a state of intense disrepair, a large stump sitting in front of the walkway that had seemingly collapsed. The door was closed shut, with what looked like old gem tech. Link looked at the structure, an angry frown on his face.

" They couldn't even leave the Temple be..." His voice was low, and he sat on the log. As soon as he did though, his anger seemed to have crumbled. He pulled his Ocarina out, and began to play. It was a slow song, sad and quiet, but somehow calming. Steven felt emotional toil he didn't even know he had, start to leave his body. Jade flew back, and began to grow in size. He watched as she grew to a full sized gem, a little leaner and shorter than Jasper, but still built like a quartz. She sat down, and closed her eyes as well. Steven was in shock.

" I didn't know you could do that!"

Jade looked over, one eye cracked, before chuckling and looking away.

" It's an energy consuming form. But I've always loved to hear Link play."

Steven nodded, and also sat down, closing his eyes, and listening intently to the song. He felt himself ease up, relaxing and absorbing the tune. As the song continued, he thought he heard another instrument sync up with the warrior. The young boy cracked his eyes and saw in front of him.

Sitting on the stump, alongside Link, was a little girl, wearing similar clothes to Link, and transparent, a soft green glow surrounding her body. Link seemingly heard her, as a stream of tears began to fall from one of his eyes. The little girl smiled, and finished the song alongside Link. The green gem turned, and stared at the girl. She didn't lose her smile as she stood up.

" Hey, Link."

He looked at her, eyes wide. She winked.

" I knew you'd come back. It's been a while."

Link put a hand over his face, grinning, and wiping the tears away.

" It has, hasn't it?"

The girl laughed." You know how long I've been waiting on you? I knew you were slow, but this is almost turtle slow, Link!"

Link gave a sad smile." I tell myself the same thing every day."

The girl sighed." Link. Don't tear yourself up. You didn't cause any of this. You could've never seen this cominig."

Link sank farther in his hands." I know."

The girl hugged Link." You have to stay strong, Link. You did it before. You can do it now."

Link nodded." I will, Saria."

Steven gasped. That was Saria? Link's childhood friend? He almost couldn't believe it. Saria stepped back, and began to glow a little stronger. She smiled sadly at the Hero of Time.

" Well. Looks like my time's up. I say it's about time I finally moved on. Link! Don't you dare keep moping around because of all this! I've got to go now, but if I see it, I'll come down here and kick you into positivety!"

She was floating up, and glowing with intense green, and finally, she disappeared into the air. A small plant grew where she was standing, another Ocarina, this one pink, and a bit smaller, sitting in front of it. Link bent down picking it up, and putting it in his bag. He looked into the sky, shaking his head, and looking back down. He had a sad smile on his face, and the two other gems mirrored his expression.

Suddenly the door to the Temple shot open. They all spun around, and watched as Peridot came down on a platform, not seeing them, as she was focused on the little screen in front of them. They stared at her, listening to her mumble to herself.

" The ancient gem tech installed here doesn't seem to have anything important here. No fusion experiments, or escape ships. Disappointing. Perhaps there are only experiments at the Prime Kindergarten. Gah, my information is too outdated. I should really hav-ACK"

Link, sick of her rambling had grabbed Jade's hands, her form splitting into a sword and shield, the former of which he used to cut through the screen, and held it at her throat. Peridot looked in horror at the blade, and the angry look on the Warrior Gem's face.

" What buisness do you have here?"

Peridot stuttered, and looked around.

" Uh, I am looking for a way off this planet."

Link narrowed his eyes." What's this about fusion experiments?"

Peridot eyes widened a little." Uh, nothing. What fusion experiments?"

The look on her face and her tone of voice easily showed that she was lying. Link scoffed.

" You're a horrible lier."

He reared his sword back, and brought it down. Peridot held her hands out.

" Wait! I'm the only one that can save thi-"

The sword passed right through her body, making her disappear in a cloud of smoke. Steven walked up, and bubble the gem.

" Wow we got Peridot!"

Link let go of the sword and shield, Jade reforming herself as the small ball of light, or her fairy form, and sat on Link's hat.

" Well that was something. I think she was trying to say something at the end there."

Link scoffed, and turned around." I've learned not to negotiate with Peridots."

He begen to walk back, Steven following him.

" Though, I don't think that she was lying right there."

Jade looked at him in confusion." That's extremely contradictory."

Link shrugged." I don't know. It's a weird feeling. I don't trust her, but I can tell that she had valuable information."

Steven stepped up. He had sent Peridot's gem back to the Temple." Maybe we should interrogate her when we get back. Like Good Cop, Bad Cop!"

Link smiled at the young boy." Perhaps. But all I really want to do want now is sleep. I think we've all had a long enough day."

Steven smiled." Ok then! Man, the gems are gonna be so happy when we tell them that we caught Peridot!"

Link chuckled." I guess so, kid."

 _ **?**_

 _It was ready. Three tall figures gathered around it, a large mirror, with strange engravings all over it. They waited, begining to become impatient. The smaller figures were seemingly worried. That is, until the mirror began to glow, the large symobol on the bottom lighting up, mostly at its top, and a dark laugh echoed through the hall._

 _Then, the glass shattered._

 **AAAAAAAAAAAAAND THAT'S A WRAP! Cliffhanger, I know. Plus, this chapter played with my heartstrings as I read it. I hope you all like it. Also, go to my profile, and there is a poll that will determine the pairing in this house. GO VOTE PEOPLE! Once again, I do hope you all enjoyed it, and I'm sorry it's a day late. I had to rewrite it, remember. Please Follow, Favorite, and Review. Remember to never interrupt the emotional moment, and as always...**

 **See You On The Flip-Side~Nick Write**


	6. The Interrogation Technique

**GOOD EVENING MY FELLOW BOOKWORMS! Nick Write here, bringing you the next chapter of Gem of Time! Things got a little heated last time, and the Gems caught Peridot! Am I a little early? Maybe, but things are going to be a little different that the main storyline of the show, if that wasn't already obvious. Hey, and I also have a poll on my profile that will determine the pairing in this story. Go vote if you don't mind, as the poll is closing on April 2. I'll stop rambling, so you can READ ON!**

Pearl looked at the small triangular gem that rested in the palm of Link's hand, the other two Crystal Gems behind her. The look on her face was a look of shock.

" You...actually...found Peridot... I can't belive it."

Amethyst snorted at Pearl's antics." C'mon P. It's not that big of a deal. The guy is pretty strong."

Garnet nodded." Amethyst is right. I'm just curious as to why Steven didn't bubble the gem..."

Steven grinned." Me and Link are going to interrogate her! She said something before Link poofed her, and now we just need her to reform!"

The gems looked a bit skeptical of this plan, but didn't say anything. Link set the gem on the table, and it wasn't long before it rose into the air, giving off it's etherial glow, and landing on the ground with a thud. Peridot grunted, as she had landed face first, and rose to her feet. She was a little disoreintated, but that wasn't going to stop her from finding those clods tha-

She looked up and saw the three Crystal Clods, as well as the Green Clod that poofed, her, she backed away slowly, before Steven stepped forward.

" Aww, she's so short and cute!"

Something snapped in the short green gem, and all her fear disappeared.

" I'M NOT SHORT OR CUTE!"

She once she finished her short rant, she realized that she WAS much closer to the ground than she originally was.

" MY LIMB ENHANCERS! WHAT HAPPENED TO MY LIMB ENHANCERS?!"

Link winced and held his ear, and looked down.

" You mean all the metal that fell off of you when you poofed?"

Peridot looked up at the green clad gem." YES YOU CLOD!"

Wincing again, Link glared at the little Peridot. She closed her mouth tight, and backed away a little from him. Steven stepped in between the two, chuckling nervously.

" Now, let's all calm down."

Peridot looked at the Gems that stood tall above her nervously

She sighed, and looked around." What is it that you want with me, Crystal Clods?"

Link kneeled down, interuppting whatever Pearl was about to say.

" We want information. You were trying to tell me something before I made you retreat into your gem. What were you saying?"

Peridot eyed the gems nervously, before pinching the bridge of her nose, and sighing again.

" Look, let me start from the beginning. During the gem war, thousands of gem soldiers were shattered. Well, we all know how the diamonds like to experiment with resources and creating more soldiers. So Yellow Diamond, after the failure of the merging process of fusing organic and useless gems to creat extra soldiers, decided to try something else. A group of Peridots-long before I was ever around-carried out her demands. They took the shattered remains of soldiers during the war, and from their own collection, and began to fuse them together. However, the results were rather...disturbing and useless. So Yellow Diamond, in all her perfectness, had an idea. They took hundreds of billions of gem shards, and fused them all together, and placed the experiment to incubate at the center of the Earth. This experiment is codenamed CLUSTER. It will emerge from the Earth, destroying it in the process, and be a geo-weapon for the Diamonds."

The gems were all taken aback at the news, and Garnet was the first to regain her composure. She looked down to the short Peridot.

" Why do you feel the need to tell us all of this? Wouldn't it be much easier to leave on your own?"

Peridot snorted." I tried doing that. But you Crystal Clods are too damn persistant."

Pearl covered Steven's ears at the utterence of the swear, and glared at Peridot, but it went unnoticed.

" I know that there's no way that I'm getting off this hunk of rock now. My limb enhancers, and all my logs are gone, and there is no escape ships or pods laying around for me to leave on. So, I figured that if we're all going to be shattered anyway, why not tell you about your inevitable doom. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go find a hole to spend my last days withering away."

She pushed past the small group, and began to walk away, but she was grabbed by Steven. She quickly turned her head, a confused look on her face.

" Hey! What's the big idea?!"

Steven grinned." I don't think you get it, Peridot. We are the Crystal Gems and we'll always save the day."

Amethyst caught on, and grinned as well." And if you think we can't, we'll always find a way."

Pearl also joined." That's why the people of this Earth..."

Garnet gave a small smile." Believe in. Garnet."

"Amethyst!"

"And Pearl."

" And Steven!"

Link grinned, remembering the song that Steven had sung when he first arrived. He raised his hand from where he was sitting.

" And Link and Jade too."

Steven turned around, and gave a huge smile.

" You see, Peridot, that's why, even though it seems impossible, we will find a way. We have to."

Peridot shook her head." You're all insane if you think you can stop this. But I won't stop you from trying."

She pulled free from Steven, who seemed slightly disheartened at the action, but she immediately turned back around at the sound of thunder, huddling for cover, and yelling.

" IT'S THE CLUSTER! IT'S ALREADY EMERGING!"

Steven giggled, and pulled Peridot to her feet.

" Calm down, that's just rain. It's normal here."

Peridot looked outside, slightly awestruck at the water pouring from the sky. She held her hand out the ajar door, and moved it around, letting the water drop freely onto her body. She pulled it back in, and chuckled slightly.

" Well...I've got nothing better to do...we are all going to die anyway."

Steven gave her a slap on the back." That's the spirit! Now we just need to figure out what we're going to do about the Cluster! CRYSTAL GEM HUDDLE!"

The three main Crystal Gems, and Steven all huddled together, and discussed quietly, while Link looked over to the shorter green gem. He stepped over to her, and sat down.

" So, you aren't going to join the huddle?"

Peridot looked up at him skeptically.

" I'm not one of you Crystal Clods..."

Link laughed, and pat her on the back, pretty forcefully in fact, he glasses flying onto the floor.

" Trust me. They'll grow on you in the long run."

Peridot looked up and scoffed." Really."

Link shrugged, and stood back up." They have for me."

He then walked over, and also joined the little huddle. Peridot was alone and quiet for a moment, but ultimately succumbed to the temptation, and squeezed herself in.

" Any ideas?"

Steven spoke first." How about a giant drill?!"

Pearl scoffed." Steven there's no way a gian...wait a second."

Peridot nodded as well." That's actually a very good idea. We'll build a drill to the center of the Earth!"

Link snorted." I find myself in the whole saving the world thing way more than I need to."

The comment went unheard, and they all stood back up. Pearl was the first to speak.

" But where can we get supplies for a giant drill at?"

They all thought a moment, before Steven jumped up.

" I've got it! We'll go to my Dad's barn! There's tons of mechanical junk in there!"

Peridot nodded." Yes. Let us go to this...barn."

Garnet shrugged." Eh, I don't see why not."

Steven beamed to have his idea win twice in a row. They all walked over to the "It's a Wash," just up the beach, and found a middle aged man, balding a bit on the top, but with long lockes the rest of the way down, a thick beard, and very obvious tan lines. He was in the back of a van, strumming quietly on a guitar, and watching the sun set, as the rain had just cleared up. He was jolted from his jam session, when Steven ran up to him.

" Hey dad! We need your help!"

The man looked up." We?"

He then looked behind Steven, seeing the Crystal Gems, as well as a couple unfamiliar faces. He looked mildly surprised to see this.

" So you've picked up some extra guys. Homeworld Gems?"

Steven waved him off." It's a long story, and we don't have time! We just need to get to the barn ASAP!"

Greg was taken aback by the frantic attitude. WIth no question, he allowed the gems to board his van, and he took off to the barn.

 **AAAAAAAAAAAAND THAT'S A WRAP! I planned on this chapter being a little longer, but I'm tired and late, so this will have to do. Please follow favorite and review, and I'll...**

 **See You On The Flip-Side~Nick Write**


	7. Giantu Robotu!

**GOOD EVENING EVERYONE! Nick Write here, bringing you the 7th chapter of Gem of Time! Uh, I'm a little late. Daylight Saving's Time sucks. Anyways, that's besides the point. We are now the most popular Loz and SU crossover (judging by favs and follows)! Isn't that just exciting? I really appreciate that you are reading this, even if it isn't the best. I really do try though. Speaking of things that I'd really appreciate, I'd appreciate it if you went onto my profile, and voted on my poll. It's there to determine the pairing. I can't make discisions on my own. I need your help. It closes on April 14th, and at the moment is at a three way tie, with only three votes. PLEASE GO VOTE! Pretty Please? Ahem, anyways, the chapter. I've got to do that now. Uh, so my fellow bookworms...READ ON!**

They rode up to the countryside with Greg, Steven's father. They rode in almost crippling silence, the only thing keeping it from being awkward was Steven listening and singing along to his dad's old songs. Link allowed a small smile to make itself apparent on his face, as he listened to the young hybrid listen to his father's music, while his father simply blushed, and chuckled at the antics of his boy. The ride didn't last for long before the van came to a stop. Greg turned to them.

" Alright, we're here. Uh, I guess you're all free to go."

Steven smiled." Thanks Dad!"

Greg ruffled the boy's hair, and grinned." No problem kiddo."

They all exited the van, each one of the gems also giving their thanks to Greg, (aside from Peridot) and they went over to the barn. This wasn't Steven and Pearl's first rodeo here either, so while the gems gathered, Pearl went into the barn, and brought back a large black board, as well as some chalk. She pointed to the board, and spoke loudly.

" Alright gems, we need a plan of action!"

Peridot held her hands out." Hold on a moment! We're letting a Pearl control the mission? That's all backwards!"

They turned to Peridot, Steven and Amethyst were confused, Link sat quietly, no expression on his face, Garnet in a similar fashion, and Pearl looking slightly offended.

Peridot continued with her rant." Pearls are made to hold things, and look pretty for their owner. Not lead the group."

She stood up, and walked up to the black board. Pearl was looking pissed at the short green gem's words, and watched as she stood on the stool. She picked up the peice of chalk, and pointed it to the board.

" As I mentioned before, the Cluster will emerge shortly. When it does, it will completely obliterate the Earth. Now, we need a pl-"

Pearl stepped in front of Peridot." We need a plan. Using the parts and tools that we were given to use, we have to build a drill that will be able to get to the center of the Earth, as well as penitrate and shatter the Clus-"

Peridot pushed Pearl out of the way again, both of them getting slowly more frustrated with eachother." Yes, we need to make our drill strong enough to destroy the Cluster, otherwise you can kiss the Earth goodbye."

Pearl stepped forward, glaring at the shorter green gem.

" Look here. I have been a part of this group way longer than you have. I don't think you have any right to stand up and act like you own us."

Peridot scoffed." But I'm much more qualified than you. I was made to build and work machinery."

Those words made something snap inside of Pearl, and she lunged at the green gem, who tried to protect herself, but before Pearl could reach her, Steven stepped inbetween the two, stars in his eyes.

" Guuuuys! I have an ideeeeaaa!"

They all looked to him, waiting patiently.

" Why don't we have a competition to see who leads our mission."

Pearl looked at the young boy skeptically, eyebrows raised.

" What kind of competition?"

Steven grinned." A Giant Robot fight!"

The gems all stared at the boy in confusion, and Link spoke up.

" What the hell is a giant robot?"

The stars never left Steven's eyes as he went into an explanation of giant robots.

" They're like giant cars, but they can grab stuff, and pick stuff up, and hit things, and just be really super cool!"

Link was even more confused now. What was a car? However, before he could make his confusion apparent, Pearl stepped forward.

" No, I don't think that's a very good id-"

Peridot grinned maniacally, and rubbed her hands together.

" I think that's a great idea, Steven."

Pearl sighed." I'm not doing it. It's pointless. We need to focus!"

Peridot's grinned widened." This is a smart Pearl! She knows she can't win!"

Pearl stopped what she was doing, and turned to the short green gem. Her eyes obviously showed the sheer anger as she smiled politely.

" Could you kindly tell me _what you just said to me you pebble?"_

Her voice was sickly sweet, making a shiver going down Link's spine. This was going to be...destructive.

Peridot was obviously a little nervous now, but still kept her high and mighty composure.

" You heard me, pearl."

Pearl's eye twitched." Amethyst. Give me that wrench. We're about to build some robots."

Steven cheered in the background, despite the obvious tension between his teammates. They both went into the barn, and got to work. Meanwhile, the rest of the Crystal Gems waited outside for the two of them to finish. Link walked up to Garnet.

" So I'm going to set up a barrier around the perimeter. I have a gut feeling that this will get messy."

Garnet simply nodded, and adjusted her glasses." That's a good idea."

Link nodded, and walked around the perimeter of the barn property, setting up one big Nayru's Love that he could activate once the two returned. He sighed, wondering why he always got himself roped in with these things.

A few hours later, and the two had already finshed the robots, amazing the green clad gem, and the little green light that was now floating around him.

" Woah. That's awesome."

Jade looked at the Hero." I shouldn't be amazed, because I've seen much more advanced. But they just built them..so...fast..."

They watched as Steven grinned largely at the two giant robots.

" Now! We are going to have a series of tests that determine which of you is the better builder, and therefore lead the group as we build the drill! Let's get started."

The two were put throught several tests, mostly cliches like Strength, Agility, ect. Link was still amazed by the technology that presented itself in form of the giant humanoid robots, as they threw things, and ran, and were just pretty cool. The green clad gem kind of wanted one.

The group watched for several hours as the two duked it out in the many competitions. There were discarded parts and oil everywhere, and it was just a huge mess. Plus, it was getting late, and Link didn't like going without sleep, even if he had a bad tendancy to do that. So he stood up, and yelled to the two robot masters.

" Hey! Why don't you just do an actuall duel?! It's getting late, and I want sleep!"

Pearl looked over, an evil look in her eyes, Peridot having a similar look.

They both spoke at the same time." Ok."

The battle began immediately, surprising them, and making the event exciting again. Peridot's robot was much more bulky, but it seemed to be very slow. Pearl's on the other hand, was the opposite. It looked fragile, but it was quick, and agile. Most likely packed a pretty good punch as well. Like a glass cannon. The two we're going after eachother pretty well, Pearl on the offensive, and Peridot on the devensive, obviously. Suddenly, Peridot grabbed Pearl's robot in a tight hold. She grinned.

" Like I said! You're just a Pearl!"

Pearl looked angry at first, but then calmed down, and smirked.

" And you're just jealous that I'm taller than you."

Peridot was confused, and Pearl took the opportunitie to pull her long leg out, and ram it into Peridot's smug face. She stumbled back, and rubbed her face in pain. Pearl jumped up, and yelled down to her opponent.

" And now I'm going to use these long legs to kick your ass!"

She flew down, and Amethyst, Garnet, and Steven cheered her on. However, Link saw it when Peridot began to smirk. She quickly moved up, and grabbed Pearl by the leg.

" I'm built to last, baby!"

She then proceeded to smash Pearl's robot to hell and back with the white gem still in it. Once she was sure she was down, Peridot jumped down from her bot, and smiled triumphantly.

" I did it! I am now the leader of the drill!"

However, the other gems were busy talking to Pearl about her big moment. Peridot looked confused, as well.

" But I won, didn't I!? You should be praising me!"

Her cries rang out on deaf ears, except for Link, who stood beside her.

" You may have won, but Pearl really proved herself today.

Peridot scoffed." How so?"

Link grinned." She came to terms with herself. You should take notes."

He ruffled her hair, and she growled at him, and attempted to fix it. The hero walked away, and Peridot sighed.

' _Maybe he's right...'_

Her thoughts were inturrupted when Steven grabbed Peridot, dragging her behind him.

" What are you doing?!"

He grinned." We have a drill to build!"

 **Kinda weak. I'm tired. Remember, poll closes April 14th, and it's for this story's pairing. Please go vote, that's all I'm asking! Anyways, I guess I'll...**

 **See You On The Flip-Side~Nick Write**


	8. An Enjoyable Afternoon

**GOOD EVENING EVERYONE! Nick Write here, finally getting off my lazy ass to bring you the eighth chapter of Gem of Time! I know, I've been gone for a while. Like, way too long. But I'm here now, and from now on, I'm gonna try a bit harder to get back on schedule. The crazy month of march is behind us, and we're almost halfway through April, so we're overlooking the Summer quite nicely. Hopefully then I'll be able to keep a better update schedule. Oh, and also the poll. Currently, there are six votes, and five characters that have been voted on at least once. Remember, the poll closes on the 14th, and I need as many votes as I can! Another thing. Go check out my girl's profile, jestergirl01. She has a couple stories, including one that we're doing together. Maybe if you go over there and leave some feedback on her stories, she'll get motivated again as well. Well, this has been a pretty long author's note, so as to not delay you beautiful people any longer, READ ON!**

It was a relatively calm evening at the barn, everyone was sitting around a large fire, and relaxing after a long day of being hard at work on the drill. The gems hadn't been working on the machine long, but they had been making pretty great strides. Link especially noticed how Peridot, the newest addition to their little rag-tag team, had finally began to grow comfortable around the others. Jade noticed the small smile on his face as he watched Steven, Amethyst, and the aformentioned Peridot joking around, and laughing heartily.

" Looks like things are finally calming down around here."

Link chuckled." Well, I guess everyone's just trying to get the thought of the Earth being destroyed off their minds."

Jade nodded." Yeah, that could be it."

Link just laid back on the rock that was sitting behind him, looking at the stars above.

" I believe we can destroy this thing. I mean, I stopped Ganon from destroying Hyrule, didn't I?"

Jade scoffed." Well, Ganon wasn't threatening the entire planet."

Link waved her off." Don't sweat the small stuff. It's all the same thing."

Jade simply shook her head in exasperation." I seriously don't get you. One minute you're the edgiest guy I know, the next you act like you don't have a care in the world."

Link shrugged." I dunno."

Jade turned a shade darker." This is exactly what I mean!"

Link began to ignore the gem's consciousness as she went on a tangent, and listened to the conversations around him.

" Hey Peridot! Could you imagine a world without bread? I know I'd be ruined, I KNEAD bread!"

Peridot stared at Steven, confused." What's bread?"

Amethyst laughed at Peridot's confusion, while Steven was laughing at his pun, and Peridot was getting even more lost than she already was.

Link chuckled at the joke, and decided to walk over.

" I do believe I just heard a pun. Perhaps I could join?"

Steven looked up to the Green Clad gem, and grinned.

" Yeah, but are you punny enough to survive?"

Link grinned." I was called the Master of Bad Puns back in my village."

Steven looked on skeptically." Oh yeah? Show me what you got, O Master of Bad Puns."

Link took a seat, and a swig of milk.

" Steven, what was the preist that thought he was being followed diagnosed with when he went to the doctor? Prayeranoia!"

Steven burst into laughter, nodding his head.

" Yeah, you're definitely good. But can you handle this!?"

He pointed forward dramatically.

" LINK! What kind of house does a famous musician buy?! One with a high note!"

Link nodded." Yes, you are quite the formidible foe indeed. But how long can you keep this up?"

Link smirked confidently." What's a swordsman's favorite kind of cheese? Sharp Cheddar!"

Steven clutched his heart dramatically." That was quite the strong blow. But I will not be defeated that easily!"

" What do you call a T-Rex with a lisp? A Dinothaur!"

Link raised his eyebrows in surprise." It seems that you are more dangerous than I once thought. I'll have to pull out the big guns!"

Link took another swig of milk, and slammed the empty jar onto the ground, and looked Steven in the eyes.

"What's a princesses' least favorite kind of music? Royalty Free!"

The exchange of horrid puns went on like this for a couple more minutes, Steven saying one, then Link countering with an equally bad one. Amethyst and Peridot looked on in confusion, as most of the jokes went over their heads, while Pearl was shaking her head dissapointedly, and Garnet was chuckling softly. However, their fun was cut short when a sudden and violent Earthquake shook beneath them, and ended abruptly. Peridot was frantically running back and forth around them.

" IT'S TOO SOON! WE HAVEN'T FINISHED THE DRILL, AND THE CLUSTER IS ALREADY EMERGING! THIS IS IT, IT'S ALREADY HAPPENING!"

Garnet held her hand up, and placed the other one on the ground. She shook her head.

" It isn't far enough down to be the Cluster. Also, the shock waves are coming from somewhere distinctly to the west, not the center of the planet."

Peridot calmed down, albeit, not very much.

" Then...what was that? It wasn't more of that rain stuff was it?"

Garnet shook her head." That sounded more like a nearby island going through an Earthquake."

Steven looked at Garnet in confusion." How can you tell what that sounds like?"

Garnet simply adjusted her glasses." I can hear very well."

Steven seemed satisfied with the answer, and Pearl stepped forward.

" Garnet, where are the tremors coming from."

Garnet rubbed her chin." The Jungle Island."

Pearl nodded." Okay, what are we going to do?"

Garnet took her hand down, and pointed into the air.

" The only thing we can do. OKAY GEMS, TO THE NEAREST WARP PAD!"

The six gems all ran to the large warp pad that no one had noticed previously, and were engulfed by the familiar light that the pads gave off. A few seconds later, the team arrived on the island, watching as the waters were becoming violent, and slamming into the shore of the water. The rumbling continued, and it looked as if something began to rise from the ocean. Garnet equipped her gauntlets, and held her hands out.

" GET READY GEMS!"

The rest of them got into position, and watched as the rising object got closer and closer to the shore. Steven looked closely, seeing something familiar figure.

He squinted." Wait...is that..."

An enormous, striped aqua colored hand came out of the water, and latched onto the shore, dragging the giant body that housed the hand.

Malachite was back.

 **AAAAAAAAND THAT'S A WRAP! What? You thought this was going to be a fun chapter? No? You don't want me bringing back Malachite so soon? No again? The puns were so bad that you literally wanted to vomit? Can't blame you. Alright you beautiful bookworms, don't forget to follow, favorite, review, AND vote on my poll! It closes the 14th, so you'd better vote while you still can. I hope you enjoyed, and I'll see you guys on the flip-side!**

 **~Nick Write**


	9. Here Comes Malachite!

**GOOD EVENING! Nick Write here, coming at ya from downtown, jamming to Warren G's What's Next ready to get my write on! Ahem, yeah, I've got the 9th chapter here for ya. I'm on schedule in this story. Not any of my other ones though, so I'm not fully back, but that's what I've got planned for this week. Although none of you have to worry about that. But there is something else that you can worry about. And that is that my poll is officially closed! Now, the votes were the same as last time, the winner winning by one point and with two votes in all is...**

 **Lapis!**

 **My girlfriend was slightly disappointed at the news, because she wanted Pearl to win, but what can you do? Speaking of which, I'm serious when I say you should go check out Jestergirl01, maybe give her a little feedback so she'll get her motivation back. BUT THAT'S ENOUGH FROM ME! Please, by all means my fellow bookworms, READ ON!**

The gems stood in fear as the monstrous fusion emerged from the ocean grinning malisciously and glaring down at the gems.

" You germs decided to make an appearance...good thing."

She slammed her fist down, shaking the ground below her furiously.

" I'VE BEEN WANTING TO SHATTER YOU FOR MONTHS!"

Garnet looked back." It looks like Jasper gained full control of Malachite!"

Pearl and Amethyst looked over worriedly." What are we going to do?"

Garnet looked over." We're going to have to form Alexandrite!"

The two gems nodded, and ran over to the leader of the Crystal Gems, and did a little dance before glowing into a huge mass, the light clearing to reveal a much taller, much more freakish looking gem. Link stared on in awe.

" What just happened?!"

Steven looked over." They fused!"

Link continued to stare, watching as the monstrously huge gem took a step forward. She turned to the gems standing far below her.

" Take Steven and get him somewhere safe!"

Link nodded, grabbing Steven, despite the cries of disagreement from the half-human, as well as cries from Peridot for him to "wait up."

As they receeded, Alexandrite turned to Malachite.

" You won't be shattering anything today."

The other fusion growled in anger, launching herself forward. Alexandrite held her hands forward, prepping herself for the attack. The two titans clashed, a giant shockwave erupting from the contact, knocking down trees on the island, and creating huge waves in the water. Malachite grinned, and backed up.

" Oh, so you wanna play that game."

She laughed loudly.

" Okay then. Let's play."

Alexandrite stayed silent, choosing to simply get in a fighting position.

The sounds of battle echoed throughout the forest as the three gems ran for safety. Not long after, they found a cave, completely hidden from the rest of the island. Link set Steven down, and looked over to Peridot.

" Peridot, make sure Steven stays here. I'm going back to help the others."

Peridot looked at him in surprise." Whoa, hold on. You think I can hold him back? He can benchpress like two of me! And I don't even know what a benchpress is! Amethyst told me that!"

Link rose an eyebrow." And you believed her?"

Peridot opened her mouth, but then shut it." Good point."

Link nodded." Now that that's settled."

He turned around, and began walking before Steven grabbed him by his tunic.

" You can't go out there alone! Let me come to! I can help."

Link shook his head." No, the gems told me to get you somewhere safe, so that's what I plan on doing. You wait here with Peridot."

Steven opened his mouth to argue, but Link shut him down.

" I don't think I could forgive myself if something happened to you. I don't think the gems would either. So stay here, for all of our sakes."

Steven looked down, and Link stood back up.

" Okay. I'll be back soon."

Link ran out of the cave, leaving the two short gems behind. Peridot stood there awkwardly.

" So...you got any good jokes?"

When Link arrived on the beach, he noticed that it looked like Alexandrite was being pushed back by the ferosios fusion that she was fighting. Link growled, and pulled out Jade in standard sword and shield form.

" Let's get this sea monster!"

He sprinted towards the water, so far unnoticed by either of the fusions. However, as soon as he stepped foot into the water, Malachite whipped her head around.

" What's this?"

She grabbed the green clad gem, and rose him into the air, getting a better look at him. She grinned.

" I recognize you! You're the one that fought Rose Quartz on your first day! That was a real spectacle!"

Link wriggled in the tight grip. He growled, unable to make any progress in escaping. However, Malachite soon let go, when Alexandrite let out a powerful blow with a huge hammer, slamming it into the smug grin that had previously adorned the face of the fusion. Link free fell into the water below, diving in with perfect form at the end, and rose from the water. He looked over to the two once again exchanging blows again.

'It seems like Malachite is easily destracted.' He thought to himself.

Link slammed his sword and shield together.

" Jade, Light Bow form!"

The light in the sword and shield shifted, revealing a long bow, with a shimmering arrow drawn back in it. Link aimed, and released the string, the arrow flying into the eye of Malachite, the flash of light following blinding her temporarily, allowing Alexandrite to knock the fusion several feet into the air, with the same hammer as before. She caught herself with huge wings made completely out of water, which did break several laws of physics, but that's beside the point. She growled, her eyes now slightly red. She equipped a helmet that extended in front of her head as a sort of weapon, and launched herself forward with her wings. Link grinned, and turned a dial on Jade's bow form, switching the light golden arrow, to an icy blue arrow, and once again aimed and shot, this time expertly shot into the middle of the right wing, freezing it solid. The sudden lack of movement from the wing caused Malachite to loose control, and spiral down into the sand below. She crashed full force into the beach, and Alexandrite saw her opening. She pulled out her own long bow, as well as a singular glowing arrow, and fired at Malachite from near point blank range. It pierced straight through the body of the fusion, and she poofed away in a blast of smoke, leaving two gems behind, one slender and blue, the other bulky, and orange with tiger stripes. Link watched on as Alexandrite also deformed, revealing the three exauhsted Crystal Gems. They all stretched and looked at the other two gems laying in the sand. Pearl grinned.

" We did it!"

Garnet nodded." Yeah. Let's get these two, and get back to the Barn. I think I could use a nap."

Amethyst smiled widely." I can always use a nap!"

They all laughed, and Link watched on in fondness. However, their joy was cut short when they heard a voice from behind them.

" Not..so fast...you defects..."

They all spun around, seeing a livid Jasper rising from the sand, and grinning psycotically at the three.

" You think I'm...done? Far..from it."

She began to charge towards the exauhsted gems, who all got ready for battle. That is, until a voice from the edge of the forest could be heard.

" Guys!"

They all spun around, seeing Steven, dragging a very angry Peridot at his heels. Jasper also noticed the boy.

" Rose..."

She changed her course for the half-breed, who looked on in terror.

" STEVEN!"

The three Crystal Gems yelled out his name, and Steven raised his bubble, and prepared for impact, shutting his eyes tight. However, the impact never came, and Jasper simply collapsed against the bubble. She rolled over, revealing the long crack in the nose part of her head. Steven gasped, and immediately lowered his body. Her body was fazing in and out, and she groaned.

" Hold on! I can heal you!"

She looked at the young halfling." Stay away from me, Rose Quartz."

She pushed the young boy away, but Steven persisted.

" Here, just let me..."

He licked his hand, and put it on Jasper's gem, who then clutched him by the hand. She growled lowly, her gem healing over and her strength returning. Slowly she stood, never letting go of the boy's hand. Soon, she stood at full height, dangling Steven in front of her.

" I didn't ask for your help Rose Quartz, and I won't fall victim to your manipulation. You may have healed me, but I'll never join you or your cause. But I will spare you this one time. If I see you again Rose..."

She pulled Steven close, whispering into his ear.

"...you'll be nothing but dust beneath my boot."

She dropped him, and began walking into the ocean.

" I'll be back. I'll keep trying to shatter you traitors. And I always get what I want."

Soon, the warrior gem had sunken completely into the water, and the other gems stood there, awestruck. Amethyst snorted.

" That's the second time that she's sank away from us like that."

Steven nodded, then turned around, going up to the blue gem that was laying on the ground, still.

" She's asleep."

Link came over, and picked her up, putting her over his shoulders.

" Well, I guess we can go back to the barn now."

Garnet nodded." We have to finish the drill, and there's some questions that Lapis needs to be asked."

Peridot nodded." Yeah, it would be a shame if we let valuable information that she could've seen while fused with Jasper be lost through not asking her."

All of them turned, and stared directly at the screen.

Steven grinned." Let's go back to the barn!"

They all boarded the warp pad, and returned to the barn.

 _ **?**_

 _The three tall figures stared in awe as a large man emerged. He grinned maliciously, hovering before them, and he laughed. It was slow, and deep. Almost condescending. Then he spoke. His voice carried athority, and malice. If they hadn't been the top of the government themselves, they would've most likely trembled at the sound of his voice._

 _" What do you want?"_

 **AAAAAAAAAAAAAND THAT'S A WRAP! I was seriously debating if I should reveal the little ending mystery here, but I decided to keep you guys in the dark about that plan a little longer. Heh, but I'm sure that you could easily figure out what's going on. But until next time, how about you favorite, follow, and review! I hope you all enjoyed it, and as always...**

 **See You On The Flip-Side~Nick Write**


	10. Lapis Lazuli

**GOOD EVENING EVERYONE! Nick Write is finally back with the 10th chapter of Gem of Time! I know that it's been a while, and you probably aren't super pleased with me for not updating in forever, but I assure you, that all is fine. I've just been having a bit of the lazy streak, but I'm sure I'll figure something out. It's all gonna be okay. Honestly, this is my best doing story at the moment. It hasn't been rewritten or anything like that, and I honestly hope it stays that way. Well, that's all I've really got for you all. So READ ON!**

When Lapis awoke, everything was dark. It had been a very...interesting experience. Instead of poofing once she'd lost conciousness, it seemed like her gem rejected her, and kept her in the outside world. Perhaps it was due to the fact that she had been in her gem for so long, or merely a coincidence. Either way, the blue gem didn't have time to be sitting around. She needed to find out where she was, and quickly. She arose from her seated position, and noticed the plush material laid under her, and all of the wood surrounding her. It was night outside, evident by the glowing moon and stars in the pitch sky. It was quiet. Lapis stood up, and looked a little closer to her surroundings. She jumped back in surprise when she noticed the silohette that was sitting on a box beside her. However, upon closer inspection, she noticed that the figure was sound asleep, leaning against the pillar beside them for support. Then, looking even closer, she noticed the oval shaped gemstone embedded in the figure's chest. A Pearl? No, it wasn't that oval shaped. It looked like a very smooth Jade stone. Which was odd. Assuming she was with the Crystal Gems, she didn't remember them having a Jade on their side. The water gem shook her head, and turned around. The dealings of the Crystal Gems were none of her buisness, and she needed to high tail it out of dodge. She began to walk away from the Jade, until she felt a hand grab her. It was rough, and had a tight grip. Obviously a quartz gem. She froze in her tracks, and the culprit spoke.

" Where are you going?"

The voice was deep, and masculine. The entire scenario reminded her of when Jasper and she had fused.

Jasper.

Suddenly, the water gem panicked, and looked around frantically. Was this a base of Homeworld gems? Had Jasper finally gotten the better of her, and took her to a base to be punished?!

No, wait. Jasper was thirsty for the power that their fusion brought. She would've tried to fuse again if they were unfused. Fortunately, she was jolted out of her thoughts, when the gem behind her shook her a little.

" Hey, seriously. I can't let you leave."

She looked back, and noticed that it was the Jade that was sitting by her. Lapis got a bit of a better look, as she now stood in the moonlight, and noticed that the gem was much to masculine to be a full gem.

" Who are you."

The "Jade" sighed." Seriously? I'm supposed to question you! Whatever."

He held his hand out." Link. Half Hylian-half gem, Homeworld Experiment, and Hero of Time, to list off my titles."

He was obviously a little drowsy, most likely from just being woken up from his slumber. Lapis looked at his hand in confusion, before he pulled it back, and cleared his throat.

" Well, there's still some stuff that we need to ask you."

Lapis raised an eyebrow." Oh really?"

Link nodded." Yes. Firstly, your name."

Lapis sighed. She knew she couldn't take this guy. There wasn't even any water clost to them.

" Lapis Lazuli."

Link nodded again." I do believe I heard one of the other gems say it. Next question. Was there any special plans that Jasper had while you two were fused?"

Lapis stared down." She was revenge hungry, and in the process lost her mind to the power she had from our fusion. I could barely control her, and lasted until the very end."

It wasn't really lying, but she decided to leave out the pleasure she got from torturing the Jasper mentally while the two were fused. Even then, she wasn't too keen on talking about the experience she just had.

Link stood up." Well, that's all I've got for you. But you can't leave just yet."

Lapis looked over to the green clad hero." Why not? I answered your questions!"

Link shrugged." Steven said he wanted you to stay here."

Lapis seemingly brightened up immediately." Steven's here? Where?"

Link pointed outside." He's asleep right now, so you'll have to...wait...until...morining...nevermind."

While he was attempting to tell the water gem that the young boy was asleep outside, she ran off, most likely to go see him herself. Link shrugged, and sat back down on his box, and promptly went back to sleep.

Lapis walked out of the barn, and looked around, the night sky providing enough light to illuminate the area. She saw the young half human, curled up on the ground, sound asleep. She began to walk over, but then she stopped. Why did he want her to stay anyway? Hadn't she betrayed him in order to get Jasper for herself? Perhaps she was to be punished. Put back in a mirror, or stored away some other way, or even shattered.

Her worrying was cut short when the young halfling turned over, and slightly opened his eyes.

"...Lapis?"

She froze. She was so confused as to what to do. On one hand, this was really the only friend she had ever had. On the other, she didn't know if he still trusted her enough for her to even hold that title anymore. Once again, she was interrupted when Steven embraced her in a hug.

" You're okay!"

She sat awkwardly, until Steven let her go. He seemed so relieved.

" Oh, I was worried about you. I know it wasn't healthy at all being fused to Jasper that long. Well, I guess you're okay now, right?"

Lapis was confused still." Steven. Why are you still my friend after everything I've done to you, and your other friends?"

Steven looked a little surprised." Lapis, I understand why you did all those things. You were scared, and homesick, and confused. I probably wouldn't have done anything different myself. And you saved us from Jasper! I say that you've done plenty for us, so there's no reason not to be friends."

The Water Gem sat, conflicted by his words." I don't think I deserve all the friendship you give me Steven."

" How about you just accept that that's how he is?"

The two turned around, seeing Link walk outside, slightly drowsy looking.

" Honestly, this kid is one of the most forgiving people I know. One to make friends first, and ask questions later. Hell, he did it to me."

Lapis thought for a moment, and then looked back to the other half-gem.

" You're Link, right?"

He nodded.

Steven grinned." Link is really cool! In fact, I think you two would get along great! You do have quite a bit in common."

Link sat beside the two." Really?"

The boy nodded." Yeah! For example, you were both trapped for thousands of years in something, and were only recently released from your prison."

Lapis looked over in surprise." You were trapped alone in a mirror for thousands of years as well?"

Link shook his head." I wasn't alone, I had Jade, and I was powering the ship you came back on, not a mirror."

" Ah, okay."

The three sat in silence for a moment, before Steven decided to pass back out on the ground. Link stood up and chuckled at the boy's state, before picking him up, and propping him up against a bail of hay. Then, he walked back inside, most likely to go back to sleep. Lapis looked back to the sky, and watched as the stars in the sky twinkled with shining beauty. She felt a strong urge to spread her wings and take flight. But she didn't have anywhere to go. Homeworld was an instant no, and she was already on Earth, so she was stuck here for the time being. She turned her head to the young boy sleeping, and sighed. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad with her only friend there to help her.

" Wake up, Lapis, we need to make you new friends."

The water gem arose from her position on the ground, not realizing that she had passed out prior to dawn. She looked down to the half gem in confusion, who simply grinned to her in response.

" How about we start with Pearl!"

Lapis looked a little hesitant." Pearl, huh? You mean the gem that I spent the last part of my life as a mirror trapped inside? The same gem that knew i was in there, but kept me there anyway."

Beads of sweat travelled down the young boy's face, and he chuckled nervously.

" Okay, maybe we should just start with Amethyst."

Oh, it was going to be a long day.

 **WHOO I FINALLY GOT THIS CHAPTER DONE! Now, we are at a breaking point in this stories. We've got all the characters we're going to get for a while, and we're finally getting the Lapis interaction chapters out of the way, that way we can tackle the cluster head on. Also most of the chapters from here on out will either be from Lapis' point of view, or Link's, with the other characters occasionally joining in. I hope you all enjoyed it, and have a wonderful night!**

 **See You On The Flip-Side~Nick Write**


	11. Tall Enough to Ride

**GOOD EVENING EVERYONE! Nick Write here, bringing you the 11th chapter of Gem of Time! Hey, how are y'all doing? Good? Good, because we aren't going to do anything to crazy today. It's gonna be a chill day. We're all gonna have a good time. I don't have much to say today, except for READ ON!**

Link watched as Lapis and Steven laughed and joked at the crack of dawn, while the other gems were still passed out, exaughsted from the fight with Malachite. The two seemed to have known each other forever, making the hero wonder what her story was. As they were talking, Link noticed a certain purple gem sprawled across the ground begin to stir. She looked up, seeing the water gem, and her eyes widened in alarm. She jumped to her feet, and summoned her whip.

" Steven! Look out!"

Steven looked over, and saw Amethyst with her whip ready, and put his arms out in a peaceful gesture.

" Woah, woah! Amethyst, it's okay! Lapis isn't going to hurt me, or the rest of us."

Amethyst eyed her warily, before putting her whip away, and mumbling to herself.

" I wouldn't count on the second one."

She walked over, and put on her every day grin.

" So, what're you guys up to?"

Steven smiled." Oh, me and Lapis have just been talking all morining. Actually, I was wondering if you'd like to join us on a trip to the Boardwalk."

" Boardwalk? What's that?"

The three gems jumped in surprise, and Link gave a slight snicker, when Peridot invaded their conversation, after hearing them say something about a board walking.

She looked confused." What kind of board can walk?"

Steven stifled a chuckle." No, Peridot, it's a place on the beach. Would you like to come with us?"

Before Peridot could answer, Lapis interrupted them both.

" Woah Woah Woah! What's she doing here? She's with Homeworld, Steven!"

Peridot scoffed." I may as well not be. This planet is dying, and I'm helping these gems to save it. I'm just as traitorous as them or you."

Lapis glared at the short gem." I never betrayed anyone, but Homeworld isn't going to help me, and I barely have a place here, so I'm not on anyone's side. I'm only still here for Steven!"

Peridot returned the glare." What about the rest of this planet? You can't just save one person, and expect him to be fine with being alone in the universe."

Lapis' glare hardened, and the began to close in on each other, before a glowing green sword came inbetween the two.

" Both of you. Stop."

They looked at each other, and then back to the sword, before backing off, the glare they had never leaving their faces. Link sighed, and Jade went back into Fairy Form. She flew around Link's hat, and sat on top of it.

" Something tells me it's going to be a long day."

Later, the five gems arrived at Funland, on the Boardwalk, and walked around a bit. Steven turned to Lapis.

" Isn't it great?!"

Lapis nodded." I remember this place. Yeah, it's pretty great, Steven!"

Peridot grinned and walked beside the two.

" Great it is Steven! Lazuli!"

Lapis silently glared at the little space dorito, who failed to notice the hole being burned into the back of her head. Amethyst slept and walked forward at the same time, and Link simply amusedly watched the gems' behavior. They were like children. Steven suddenly stopped, and began to point to a large, curly mass of iron and other metals, making like a railroad track that went all over the place.

" Look, a roller coaster! Let's go ride it!"

They all walked up, and Mr. Smiley turned to them. Before Steven could step up, he held his hand up, and pulled up a small cardboard cutout of Banny BeVito, and set it by Steven, the half gem just barely being shorter than the man. This trend continued with Peridot and Amethyst, who didn't seem to care that much anyway, and when Link and Lapis stepped forward, they were plenty tall.

Lapis looked back to the young boy, slightly nervous.

" Uh, Steven. I don't know if I should ride this without you."

Steven chuckled." Lapis, go have fun. You can do it without us, we'll wait. Plus you have Link!"

She looked over to the other half gem, who was silently looking at the tracks in amazement. She sighed and stepped over the barrier.

" Fine. I'll ride it without you."

She sat down, and Link came to sit down beside her. For a few moments, they sat in an uncomfortable silence. Finally, the green clad gem spoke up.

" So. Uh, what's your story?"

Lapis looked over to the hero." What?"

Link looked a bit flustered, a slight blush rising to his cheeks." Well, I was just curious. I mean, we're going to be here for a moment until the ride get's enough passengers to start."

Lapis chuckled at the Hylian's flustered stumbling." I used to be a part of the Homeworld Upper Class. I came to Earth to help get the planet ready for colonization, and to see if there was any intellegent life here, and to gage how much of a threat they would be. However, the rebellion broke out, and I was caught in the crossfire. I was stored in a mirror, and mistaken for a Crystal Gem. They would ask me for information, but since I had no idea where anything they asked for was, I couldn't tell them. So they tossed me away, and while they were escaping out from homeworld, my gem was cracked, and I layed there for hundreds of years, only to be picked up by that Pearl, and stored away for several more. Then, Steven got a hold of me, and was the only person to ever show me any compassion. He freed me, and he fixed my gem so I could return home. It was too bad that Homeworld was even worse than when it was before the rebellion."

Link nodded, soaking in the knowledge just provided to him.

" Sounds pretty rough."

Lapis nodded." Now. Equivilent exchange. What's your story?"

Link exhaled." It's a long one, so you may want to get comfortable."

Lapis simply stared at the Hylian.

" Okay, it all started in a land called Hyrule."

Link told Lapis about how he woke up one morning to a fairy waking him up, and then explaining the importance of Fairies, and detailed him going through the Great Deku tree, and getting the Kokiri Emerald. He then continued on to tell her about his meeting with princess Zelda, and her mission for him. The three Spiritual Stones, The Master Sword, The Ocarina of Time, Gannondorf entering the Sacred Realm. It was a long tale to tell, but once he was finished, Lapis looked a little surprised.

" Wow. You've actually had it a bit worse than I do."

Link chuckled softly." It could've been so much worse. I'm just glad that I was able to do what I was able to do."

He stares at the sky for a few more moments, before shaking himself out of it.

" Well, I did promise a dear friend that I wouldn't mope about it, so I'd better clear my head. We're supposed to be here having fun aren't we?"

Lapis was quiet for a moment. Something that Link said had struck a chord. Dear friend. Would Steven classify as a dear friend for her? She wondered if he worried about her mental state as well as the rest of her. However, her thoughts were interrupted by the jerking movements of the rollercoaster starting forward. She looked up in surprise, and saw Link with a small smile on his face.

" It took them long enough. Well, I guess it's time!"

The rollercoaster was entertaining enough, and once they got off, Lapis had a small grin on her face, while Link as clutching his stomach in pain.

" So...many...loops..."

The Gems that were too short to ride walked over, and looked as if they had an interesting experience themselves. Steven looked over to Lapis.

" So, Lapis. You have fun?"

Lapis thought for a moment, before breaking out into a grin." Yeah, I sure did Steven."

He was quiet, and his eyes were down. Lapis was suddenly worried. Had she done something to upset the boy? Before she could ask what was wrong, he jumped up, stars dancing in his eyes.

" Lapis! I haven't seen you smile that big since you left for Homeworld!"

He tackled her in a hug, catching her off gaurd. Before long, however, she hugged the boy back, and noticed the rest of the gems smiling. Maybe things would turn out okay after all.

 **ANND MY FRIENDS, THAT'S A WRAP! Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it. Remember to Follow, Favorite, and Review, and as always...**

 **See You On The Flip-Side~Nick Write**


	12. To The Moon!

**GOOD EVENING EVERYONE! Nick Write here, bringing you the twelfth chapter of Gem of Time! Now, It's been a little while since I last updated, but don't worry. My summer is in near full kick. Next week I won't be able to update, because I'll be gone, but after that, I should be able to update each week! Yippee! Okay, but that's besides the point. I know that this story is kinda slow right now. Kinda in parallel to the show, where things were slow, and then shit hit the fan. I'm not sure when shit's gonna hit the fan, if it's gonna be this chapter, or a later chapter. Guess I'll figure that out as I'm writing, huh? Well, I don't want to waste any more of your time, so READ ON!**

Lapis stared at the stars in the night sky, silently reminiscing about homeworld, prior to the gem rebellion. She heard footsteps behind her, and turned around, seeing Peridot walk over, and sit down. Lapis turned back around, not wanting to talk to the little green gem. Peridot sighed, and looked back up as well.

" You miss Homeworld?"

Lapis snorted." How it was 5,000 years ago, maybe."

Peridot nodded." I miss it to. But we can't go back, or we'd be shattered on the spot for treason."

Lapis looked over to the Peridot, eyebrow raised." When did you...?"

Peridot grinned sheepishly." I may have insulted Yellow Diamond straight to her face, after she couldn't see the valuable resorces this planet has, and it's unique living conditions, not to mention the life here itself. It truly is a marvel."

" That it is."

They both jumped, and turned, seeing Link walk over and sit with them as well.

" You know, as long as I was trapped in space, I've never actually seen how anything looks from space."

Lapis looked back up." It's beautiful."

Link nodded." Jade has told me. She's also told me that Homeworld isn't one to care about potential life and resources."

Peridot snorted." I was completely wrong about Homeworld. They don't have the best intrests of it's inhabitants in mind, and obviously are too wrapped up in vengeance fantasties to think logically. I mean, it's been 5,000 years, move on why don't you?"

Lapis nodded." Although I never saw the point of the rebellion or believed in colonizing this planet at all, I agree."

Peridot grinned." Maybe Rose Quartz should've just "colonized" Earth herself, and kept the rest of gem kind away."

Lapis chuckled." Maybe."

Link spoke up." I've met Rose Quartz. She obviously didn't have any interest in my home whenever I did. She was smart though. A good strategist, and most likely a good battle leader."

Peridot looked over." You met Rose Quartz before she started the rebellion?"

Link nodded." She was your average every day Quartz soldiers. In fact, there were a good bit of Rose Quartz gems. Hundreds even. But she stood out. I don't know what it was, but she was the least soldier like soldier there. I actually fought her."

Peridot nearly fell off the log she was sitting on." YOU FOUGHT ROSE QUARTZ?!"

Lapis looked surprised by this as well." That is surprising. I thought she cared for the life on Earth dearly?"

Link nodded." She was just another soldier back then, though. I would've beaten her if I wasn't surrounded by an entire army of highly trained quartz soldiers though."

Lapis looked thoughtful." Maybe you helped set the rebellion into motion."

Link nodded." I wouldn't doubt it. My last words to her seemed to get under her skin."

Peridot looked fascinated." What did you say?"

Link grinned, and in a dramatic voice held his hands out.

" I said,'I see. All of you are mindless pawns, working under the whims of some higher athority. Pathetic. Why do all this, when you could decide for yourself?'"

Peridot eyes were wide." Woah."

Link grinned sheepishly, and Lapis chuckled. Peridot had seemingly changed from before. Perhaps it was par of the course when hanging around the Crystal Gems for so long. She turned to the green-clad hybrid.

" So Link, technically you started the rebellion?"

Link thought for a moment, before looking up in realization.

" I did."

Peridot stood up suddenly.

" I have to get my voice recorder! THIS IS VALUABLE INFORMATION!"

Both Link and Lapis chuckled as Peridot scrambled to find the machine. Lapis sighed, looking back to the stars that she had been there to look at in the first place.

" Maybe it won't be so bad staying with the Crystal Gems at all."

The next day, the Gems were hard at work on the drill that they would take to the Cluster. Garnet stepped back, and admired their handiwork.

" Good job gems. I think that's it."

Peridot stood by the fusion." All that is needed now is coordinates that lead to the cluster."

Steven and the rest of the gems also walked over. "Coordinates? How are we supposed to get those."

Peridot thought for a moment." Well, I did have them preregistered in my limb enhancer log, but Amethyst stole them and threw them into the ocean, so I guess all we can do is go to an old homeworld base, and look it up on their computers."

Pearl looked at the short, green gem." Where's the closest homeworld base?"

Peridot thought for a moment." Well, there aren't any functional ones left, because they were all destroyed by you-"

Pearl blushed a little, as did Garnet, remembering them going around destroying Homeworld bases after the war. It was a good idea at the time.

"-so I think the closest base would be the base on Earth's moon."

Steven's eyes shined bright." We're going to the moon?!"

Pearl looked worriedly at the boy." How are we going to get to the moon from here? We have no ships or anything of that sort."

Peridot nodded." That is true."

Lapis thought for a moment." I could fly one of us there."

Peridot shook her head." I'm sure carrying someone that far through the vaccuum of space would be a very taxing task. The Earth's moon is a full 238,900 miles away. You might have trouble carrying someone there, and I doubt that you would know what to do once you got there if you went yourself."

Lapis was about to argue, but she remembered that she wasn't good with computers anyways. " Yeah. Good point. What are we going to do?"

Amethyst shrugged." Just start drilling and hope we find the Cluster?"

Peridot shook her head." That'd take too long. The Cluster is due to emerge in just a few weeks. We have very little time on our hands."

They were all silent, before Steven jumped up." We could take Lion!"

At the mention of his name, Lion looked over from his shadey nap spot beside the barn.

" Lion can warp with his roar, so I bet if anyone can get us to the moon, it's him!"

Pearl looked at the Lion, and then back to Steven.

" Well, it's worth a shot?"

Steven cheered." Yay! We get to go to the moon!"

Link chuckled at the young hybrid's enthusiasm. Yes, this was going to be an interesting trip indeed. They looked at the lion.

" Well, I don't think we can all fit on the lion. I think a couple of us will have to stay behind."

Pearl raised her hand." I'll stay behind to make sure there aren't any kinks with the drills structure."

Amethyst yawned." I'll just stick around here with P."

Garnet nodded." Then it's settled. We'll go to the moon and get the cooridinates, and be back as soon as possible."

Steven cheered again." MOON TRIP!"

The young gem hybrid whistled, and the pink lion looked up from his spot, and yawned. However, he laid right back down, and Steven sighed.

" Ugh, he always does this. LION!"

He ran over to the big pink cat, and began to gently push him on his side.

" C'mon, Lion. We gotta go to the moon!"

Link chuckled as the Steven attempted to get the beast up from it's slumber, and was finally successful.

Jade snorted from their gem." You know, that thing reminds me of you."

Link simply shrugged, and didn't respond..

It took a few moments, but Steven finally managed to get the lion up, and get the rest of the gems seated up on the ride. Steven and Peridot rode in the Lion's mane, while Garnet, Lapis, and Link sat on the Lion's back, respectively. Lion began to run forward, and roared, a large portal appearing in front of them. He jumped into it, continuing to run forward, and launch portals, each time speeding up, almost to the point to where Link was close to falling off. About the fourth portal, Lion and the rest of the gems shot out and landed on the base. Lion layed on the floor, panting slowly. Steven walked over to his...lion, and gave him a gentle pet.

" Aww, he's all tuckered out. You rest here, boo. We'll be right back."

Steven turned to the gems, all of them except Garnet looking confused. Peridot shook it off, and looked around.

" Okay, so somewhere around here there should be a control panel that makes the stairs to the upper levels appear."

Steven looked around as well, and took a big step, going much farther than he meant to. His eyes widened, shining with stars as he realized something.

" We're on the moon...that means..."

He took an experimental leap, going several feet into the air.

" I'm a moon boy!"

Lapis smiled at the boys antics." Go Steven!"

Steven laughed, and landed in front of Lapis." Come on, Lapis, jump with me!"

Lapis waved her hands." Sorry, I can't. My gem body immediately accomadates me to the gravity here, so it's normal for me now."

Steven gave a disappointed look." Aww..."

Lapis grinned." Buuut, I can fly!"

Steven's grin was back almost instantly, and the two were jumping and flying around the moon base. Link chuckled, and walked over to Garnet and Peridot, who were still trying to find the control panel.

" Any luck?"

Peridot stayed focused, but responded nontheless." It should be right around here. Aha!"

She pressed a small diamond, and it began to glow, several platforms floating up from the ground, and making a staircase for them. Peridot beamed.

" There we go! Come on, we have no time to waste."

Garnet said nothing, and the rest of the gems came to follow them. As they walked, Peridot admired the base.

" I'm sure back in it's time, this base was booming with buisness. Disappointing to see such a well made base go to waste like this."

They all quietly listened Link looking at the four murals that lined the walls. A Yellow one, a Blue one, a Pink one, and a White one. What did they represent, he wondered. Soon enough, the five gems reached the top floor, with the computer and a giant throne. Peridot stared in wonder at the room.

" This was a Diamond communication room. Amazing."

She marveled the throne, and booted up the computer, her little fingers going to work like she owned the place. She brought up a screen that had a diagram of the Earth on it, as well as a big X on the side of it. Peridot grinned.

" There it is. Here, I'll download the files on this disk."

She proceeded to work on the disk, and Steven pointed to another diagram.

" Hey Peridot, what's that?"

She stopped momentarily, and looked at the other open window.

" Hmm? Oh, that seems to be the blueprints for the colonization of Earth."

They watched as structures and things were built, until nothing of the Earth remained except a shell of its former self.

" Earth most likely would've been one of the biggest colonies owned by Homeworld, besides Homeworld itself. The nutrients here were rich for gem kind. However, they are also unique to the species here. Either way, Earth is an amazing planet."

They were quiet, slightly shaken by the diagram, but Peridot snapped them out of it, when she pulled the disk out.

" There we go! Alright team, let's go!"

They walked back outside, and boarded the now rested Lion. They travelled back to Earth, seeing Pearl and Amethyst idly chatting. When they arrived back, the two gems looked back hopefully. Peridot grinned, and pulled out the disk. Amethyst cheered, and Pearl looked relieved.

" Now to install it into the drill."

And a few moments later, the drill was ready. All seven of the gems got in, thanking Pearl and Peridot for making the cockpit roomy enough for seven. The little green gem switched the drill on, and buzzed to life. She grinned.

" You guys might wanna hold on! It's gonna be a bumpy ride!"

And they were off.

 **AAAAAAAAND THAT'S A WRAP! Sorry it's a day late, it's a longer chapter. Also, the Cluster is going to go COMPLETELY differently. So look forward to that. I hope you all enjoyed the read, remember to Favorite and Follow if you did, and leave a Review. Anything helps! As always,**

 **See You On The Flip-Side~Nick Write**


	13. Underground Adventure

**GOOD EVENING WORLD! Nick Write here bringing you the 13th chapter of Gem of Time! Yes, I'm finally off of my "break." So writing ought to come back in full swing now! Better get to it now before I get lazy, so here we go. READ ON!**

There was about and hour worth of drilling before the crew hit anything of importance. Unfortunately, said thing of importance was a solid granite wall, causing them to crash the drill rather unceremoniously. They crawled out of the rubble, and Peridot sadly rubbed the outside metal.

" So young..."

While she mourned the death of her drill, the rest of the gems looked at the structure in front of them. It was a large, temple like building, with large columns reaching upward. It looked like there had been a cave hollowed out down here, and this structure built into it. Peridot came beside them, and said what they were all thinking.

" That doesn't LOOK like a giant mass of fused gem shards. What's going on here?"

Garnet looked up at the building one more time." I don't know, but it isn't going to help us sitting out here looking at it. Let's investigate."

Link stared at the building. Something about it seemed familiar. But he couldn't put his finger on it. The seven gems walked into the building, torches along the walls lighting themselves as soon as Garnet's foot crossed the threshold of the entrance. Steven looked at the torches with stars in his eyes.

" Whoa, that was awesome."

Pearl looked around." Yes, and not suspicious in the slightest." She said sarcastically

As they moved, they carefull watched the dimly lit building around them. Steven looked to the side, and took a small step to the left. The tile pressed down, and a low humming resonated throughout the structure. Bright lights exploded to life, nearly blinding the gems. Holes opened up around them, lasers shooting up and creating a large box around everyone besides Link and Lapis. It glowed a light blue, and hummed with electricity. Amethyst came up to it, and gave it a light touch. It sent an electric current through her body, and she quickly brought her hand back, slightly dazed.

" Ouch."

The cage began to rise up, taking the gems with them, until they disappeared into the upper levels of the structure. Lapis looked surprised, looking over to Link, who barely seemed fased by what had happened.

" Well," Link started," I guess we've got to go save them now."

Lapis stared at the Half-Gem." What just happened."

Link snorted, a half smile playing on his face." Well, I guess Homeworld took a few notes from the temples in Hyrule. Because this place is booby trapped to hell and back."

Lapis was still confused." Booby trapped?"

Link sighed." You'll see. The best thing to do in a Hylian Temple? Explore until we find where the doors and keys are. Then we find the map, and then the compass, so we can find more keys and then fight a mini-boss, and then get the dungeon item, then find the boss key using the dungeon item, then find and defeat the boss, then leave."

Lapis's head was spinning. Most of what Link had said to her was nonsense to her, but the hero seemed to know what he was talking about, so Lapis went with it. Then Jade flew out of her gem, circling the green clad gem's head a few times.

" That didn't make any sense to her, and you know it."

Link shrugged." Well, it's what we've got to do. So let's go."

He immediately began walking to the left, looking around the now brightly lit room. Noticing a door, he went over to investigate. He hovered his hand over it, and it slid open. He seemed impressed.

" Guess the technology would be a little more advanced."

Lapis nodded." It was built by Homeworld."

Link shrugged." I guess we'll figure out just how much has changed as we venture onward."

Lapis was beginning to get a little concerned.

The two walked around the temple with little opposition, to Link's surprise. Apparently he was used to there being little monsters and things all over the place. But he hadn't had to use Jade once. He almost sounded disappointed, but the water gem didn't mind the peaceful travel. The gathered a few key cards, and opened a few locked doors, but things seemed relatively calm throughout the journey. That is, until the two of them came into a large, arena-styled room. Link stopped Lapis from walking in further.

" Careful. This is most likely the guardian to the item that is held in this temple."

Lapis nodded, carefully following the more experienced dungeon crawler. Link stopped in his tracks in the middle of the room. Lapis stopped after him, and a low rumbling could be heard coming from above them. Suddenly, a large beast dropped in front of them, a gem visible on the chest of the beast. Link stepped back, grabbing Jade as she went into sword and shield mode. The beast let out a ear-splitting shriek, and it's hide went from a dark blue color, to a scaly black. It fell onto it's two front feet, and faced off with the two gems.

 _ **Corrupted Gem Beast: Tourmaline**_

Link jumped back, dropping Jade onto the ground.

" Okay Jade, we need you to be in Fairy mode, so you can get close to find any weaknesses.

Lapis was on the other side of the room, parallel to Link, and looked worriedly to the monster and back to the Hero. There wasn't any water around, so she was completely useless. She watched as Jade went back into her Fairy Form, and circled around the beast a few times.

" It's like the scales on the outside of it's body are made entirely from shadows! Maybe some Light Arrows will expose the weak spot's underneath!"

Link nodded, and Jade flew back, going into Bow Form. Link drew back the string, and a white arrow materialized in the bow. Lapis recognized the arrows as the same kind that he had shot at her and Jasper when they had fused as Malachite. He shot the arrow at the side of the gem, and like Jade had said, the shadows parted, revealing the fleshy weak spot of the gem. Link shot forward, Jade changing back into Sword form and he peirced through the gem's weak spot. The corrupted gem screeched in pain, the spot covering back up, and took a swing at the Green clad gem. He jumped back a few times, and the gem curled up into a spinning ball. As it did this, it began to shoot torrents of water out of it's sides, soaking the whole room, and filling it ankle deep with water. It shot around the room wildly, staying in the form of a spinning ball. Link expertly dodged the beast as it bounced off the walls, and Lapis simply flew out of reach. She watched it for a few more seconds, before she realized something.

There was water _everywhere._

She smirked, and raised her hand up. A similar, but much larger hand rose from the water, and stopped the corrupted beast in it's tracks. Link looked up, and grinned. He then focused back on the monster, who was disorientated from the sudden stop. Link took the opportunity to shoot another Light arrow, this time much closer to the gem of the monster, and once again the scales opened up to reveal weak fleshy material. Link jammed his sword into the monster one more time, and attempted to pop the gem out of it's chest, but the gem thrashed, and threw him off of her. Link grimaced. He looked up to Lapis.

" Hey, hold it still for me!"

The blue gem nodded, and grabbed the beast, effectively stopping it's thrashing. Link grinned, and repeated steps 1 and 2, this time popping the gemstone out of the beast's chest. It was quiet for a moment, before the beast's body disappeared in a puff of smoke. The gemstone clattered on the ground, and Link picked it up, shoving it into his pocket.

" I'll give that to the gems later."

Lapis flew back down to the floor, and stood beside Link, who turned to her with a grin.

" That was pretty good. Lucky us that we managed to find a water monster to fight."

Lapis blushed, a small smile on her face." I guess so."

Link got back to buisness relatively quickly, heading straight for the now unlocked door. However, there was something in the room that Link never would've expected to be in there.

Absolutely nothing.

Link stood awestruck for a moment, before regaining his composure.

" Well. Never had that one happen to me before."

Lapis was confused again." What?"

Link looked over to her." Usually, there's an item in a chest after the Mini-boss, and it helps defeat the Main Boss."

Lapis thought for a moment." Well...why would they give you the secret to defeating their weapon?"

Link went to open his mouth, but he shut it.

" That's...a really good point actually."

He looked around, and noticed that there was a door to the left. They approached it, and it opened up into a dark room. Link took a step forward, and just like before, the entire room lit up in a bright light. In the middle of the room, there was the rest of the gems, still trapped in the giant cage. Amethyst was laying on the ground, most likely asleep, and Steven, Pearl, Garnet, and Peridot were all playing a card game. However, something was off. Why would the room be so...easy? It was just an empty room with a panel, and the cage in the middle. Link was suspiscious, but then Steven noticed them at the door, and jumped up in exitement.

" There they are!"

All the gems looked over, including the now awake Amethyst, and they all let out a sigh of relief. Lapis walked forward, but Link grabbed her arm.

" Something's not right."

Lapis looked around, and noticed something.

All throughout the tiled room, there were yellow lines, that lined across the floor. She put her hand near one, and a Gem Destabilizing field shot up from the ground. She yanked her hand back, and Link nodded.

" Told ya."

The green clad gem looked to his left, and smashed the panel on the wall. The room went dark, and the cage fell. Amethyst jumped forward, and was immediately poofed by a gem destabilizing field. They grimaced.

" The power went out, and the cage went out, but the destabilizer fields are still here. We'll have to watch our step."

They carefully manuvered through the maze, making it to the door on the other side, and opened up, going into a cavern this time. Link looked around

" I think we're here."

They all looked ahead, and saw it.

A huge mass of random gem shards mashed together, softly glowing with an etherial light.

The Cluster

 **AAAAAAAAAAAAAND THAT'S A WRAP Hey! I ended it on a cliffhanger! I know, I'm horrible, I leave for two weeks, and then come back with a cliffhanger. Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, remember to Follow and Favorited if you haven't already, and leave a review telling me what you thought. I'll see you guys next week with chapter 14!**

 **See You On The Flip-Side~Nick Write**


	14. The Cluster

**HELLO EVERYONE! Nick Write here, bringing you the 14th Chapter of Gem of Time! Welcome back! If you're new here, welcome for the first time. Or probably the fourteenishth time. Eh, it's whatever. So last time I left off on a sort of cliff hanger. I know, I'm horrible. But now I'm here to repent for my horrible crime! By giving you a brand spanking new, juicy chapter! Now, isn't that just wonderful. SO, without further distraction, READ ON!**

The seven gems looked at the massive gem shard cluster. The tension in the air was thick, and there was a low humming noise resonating around them. They all stepped closer and stared at the Cluster.

" So," started Amethyst," what do we do now?"

And that was a good question. Their drill had been busted on impact, so now they didn't have anything they could destroy the Cluster with.

Then it began to glow.

The Earth around them began to shake, and the Cluster released a wave of energy. They all struggled to not be pushed back by the energy. Peridot yelled over the noise.

" It's trying to take form! Hurry think of something, we can't let it form!"

Amethyst turned to the short, green gem." Then what do you suggest we do!"

Peridot yelled." Gah! I don't know, something!"

Garnet spoke up." Look out, it looks like it's gonna try to form again! Brace yourselves."

They sat and watched as another wave of energy, this time a glaringly bright yellow instead of a milky white. Lapis pointed to it.

" That doesn't look very good."

Link nodded." No. No it doesn't."

The wave crashed down on the gems, and their forms faltered, before everyone except Steven was poofed. They young half-gem looked around, worried about his friends' wellbeing. However, before he could check on them, a voice spoke up from in front of him. He quickly turned to see a woman, with curly blonde lockes, a white gown, and a small ringlet across her head.

" They are fine, young halfling."

Steven's mouth went dry. Was this the Cluster? Was she about to destroy the world. The woman seemed to read his mind.

" I am not a part of that monstrocity young one. However, I am bound to this place."

Steven couldn't speak. His mouth was dry, and he was confused. He had never felt like this before. Not even when he saw Yellow Diamond on the feed Peridot had activated. The woman knelt down, being several feet taller than the young half gem.

" You may call me Hylia. I am the goddess of the Hylian race."

Steven was at a loss for words." You're a goddess?"

The woman gave a small smile." Yes, but I don't have much time. The only reason I am even able to linger here like this is because Link. The last Hylian."

Steven looked over to the Jade gemstone lying on the cave floor." The last Hylian? Is that what he is."

Hylia nodded." He's the only reason that I haven't faded completely. Without him, I would've vanished along with the rest of my people."

Steven was confused. Hylians? He never remembered them in any of the history books at the library. And Link was the last of his kind? What happend to the rest of them?

The goddess saw the confusion apparent on the young boy's face, and elaborated." The Hylian's were a race of people long before you humans came to be the main species. They had long pointed ears, to hear the whisperings of the goddesses, and they had a proficiency in magic. The Hylians however, were far from a peaceful people though. Their history was caked in blood and war. Quite sad really. It hadn't been long before the Hero of Time had defeated the Demon King Ganon, and brought peace back to Hyrule, that the gems invaded. They slaughtered all of the remaining Hylians, including my mortal shell, the Princess Zelda. Usually, I'd have been reincarnated. However, the three goddesses Din, Nayru, and Farore brought me back to the Realm of the Divine. They showed me as the Hero of Time was captured and taken away by the strange aliens. He's lived this long, keeping the Triforce of Courage alive. Now that he's awakened, the cycle is sure to continue. There will be a new bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom, and I must retreat to the heavens, lest I fade from this world forever."

Steven's head was spinning. This was getting a bit too complicated. What did he have to do with this? He wasn't connected to any of this.

" Quite the contrary Young Quartz child. You may be the most important peice of the puzzle. The King of Evil will be awakening soon, if he hasn't already. Link won't be able to face him alone. I need you to watch over my friend."

Steven looked at the pleading goddess." I-I'll try to."

The goddess smiled warmly." I know you will."

Her glow dimmed somewhat." It seems my time is up here. You know what to do from here out."

As she disappeared, his gem glowed a soft pink, and he began to here voices. Only a few, then more, and the number kept growing until it was too much to handle.

" QUIET!"

And it went dead silent. The young half gem looked around. He wasn't in the cave anymore. It seemed as if he was floating through space, surrounded by millions of gem shards. He looked around, and noticed the gems attempting to reform. Realization set.

" You want to reform."

As soon as the word uttered from his mouth, the entire dream scape went crazy. The noise once again became to overwhelming, and Steven quieted them. The space around him grew silent, and he looked around. The gem shards glowed individually. Steven frowned.

" You must all be so lonely."

As soon as the words uttered from his mouth, and idea popped into his head. He grabbed to shards, both of them pulsating softly at the contact, and he placed them close to each other, and bubbled them. He smiled victoriously, the two gems pulsating back and forth, seemingly having some kind of conversation. He looked around, seeing the thousands of gem shards. He sighed.

" This is going to take a while..."

He bubbled a few more gems, and noticed that the gem shards began to put each other into bubbles. He grinned.

" That's it!"

Bubbles began popping up left and right. Steven woke up gasping, and looked around. His friends still hadn't reformed, and he turned to the cluster. He clapped his hands for dramatic effect, and placed them on the mass of shards.

" I've got you! You've got this! We've all got each other!"

And with a final push of energy, the entirety of the Cluster was engulfed by a bubble, swirling with several different colors. Steven panted tiredly, and grinned. Who'd have thought that they'd be able to bubble the Cluster? Steven heard a gasp of air behind him, and turned. Amethyst was sitting on the ground, rubbing her head.

" Ugh, what happened?"

Steven walked over to her, sweating profusely." We stopped the Cluster."

The purple gem looked at the boy in confusion, and then to the mass of gem shards.

" YOU BUBBLED THAT WHOLE THING?"

" YOU BUBBLED THAT WHOLE THING?!"

It had been about an hour, and Pearl was the last gem to reform after being poofed. Naturally, Link thought, still just as surprised the Quartz child managed to contain such a large mass. And hold it like he has? If it had been Nayru's Love, the Hero would've ran out of Magic Energy long before. After he reformed, Steven, as well as Amethyst and Peridot, explained the story to him. To say he was impressed was an understatement. He knew there was something special about the kid. Garnet spoke up after they calmed Pearl down.

" Now comes the issue of getting out of here."

Link nodded." Our drill is busted," Peridot let out a sob," And I don't think that we'll be digging out of here any time soon."

They all thought for a moment, before Steven spoke up.

" How about we use that Warp Pad over there?"

They all spun around, and sure enough, there was a Warp Pad, in completely serviceable conditioned.

Pearl let out a quiet 'Whaaa?' and Steven shrugged.

" Well, I guess the Homeworld gems had to get in and out of here somehow, right?"

They decided not to question the convienient plot device, and all stood atop it. Link gave one last look to Steven's handiwork, and couldn't shake the feeling that he had missed something important. Steven looked at the Hero staring at the Cluster, a confused look on his face.

' I'll try my best.'

They arrived on the surface, near the barn, and Steven pulled Link off to the side. The green gem looked at the boy in confusion, and Steven looked around nervously.

" When I was inside the Cluster, I wasn't alone."

Link waited patiently for the boy to get to the point.

" She said her name was Hylia."

At the mention of the goddess's name, Link's eyes widened slightly. Steven continued.

" She says that soon, if not already, someone called 'The King of Evil' will rise, and that we need to fight him."

Link was quiet." Steven."

Steven looked up, and saw the grim look on Link's face.

" If it is who I think it is, no, who I know it is, then we have a real problem on our hands."

Steven gulped, and Link continued.

" We need to find the weilder of the Triforce of Wisdom."

 _ **Somewhere else on Earth.**_

 _A young girl stood in the top of the mountains by her home. Something had called to her, but she had no idea what. She looked at the small tattoo-like birthmark on her right hand. It had led her hear. She had it her whole life, but this had never happened to her before. The three perfect triangles glowed softly, the one on the bottom left glowed the brightest, even showing from under the insulated gloves she was wearing. She then looked at the same symbol on the rock wall. She gently placed her hand on it, and it glowed with a blinding light. She closed her eyes and looked away. When the light cleared, she looked back, now seeing a torch-lit cave leading down into the mountain. And against all better judgement..._

 _She ventured in._

 __ ** _?_**

 _The man hovered in mid-air, despite having no wings or anything. The three figures were silent, before the tallest of the three stepped forward._

 _" Tell us who you are, or face destruction."_

 _The man chuckled." No need for all of that. I do believe you have summoned me here for a reason, yes? I can be of great assistance, O Powerful Diamonds."_

 _The man bowed, and the three Diamonds' looked at him in surprise._

 _White Diamond growled." Tell us your name."_

 _The man didn't rise from his bow, and grinned wickedly._

 _" I go by many names. But you may call me Ganondorf."_

 _ **The King of Evil has risen.**_

 _ ****_ **AAAAND THAT'S A WRAP! Woah, things are getting crazy now! Who's this chick? And Ganondorf's back! Things have been pretty eventful, and I think I left off on a pretty good cliffhanger! Mwahahaha! Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed it! Remember to Follow or Favorite if you liked it and haven't already done it, and leave a review, I appreciate the feedback! I'll see you guys hopefully on Monday!**

 **See You On The Flip-Side~Nick Write**


	15. Something's Afoot

**GOOD EVENING EVERYONE! Nick Write here, bringing you the fifteenth chapter of The Gem of Time! Fun stuff people, I swear it. Okay, maybe I'm a little late. Sue me. Uh, also I did leave off on a pretty good cliffhanger last time. Maybe I'll resolve that. Maybe. ANYWAYS. I have like nothing to say, so READ ON!**

If she had to say anything about the corridor, Minerva would've said that it was unbearably long. She had been walking for a good hour by now, and it wasn't looking like she was nearing any sort of exit or different room or anything. Just perfectly placed torches, lining the spiral staircase. She sighed, and brought her hand back up, which was still glowing softly. This little birthmark or whatever it was got her into this mess into the first place.

'Gah,' She thought to herself,'why couldn't I have been a normal teenager?'

However, her internal complaining was interupted as she finally came into a different room. Oddly enough, the entire room seemed to be giving off an etherial glow. Not unlike her birthmark, she supposed. It was a pretty simple room. Just a long corridor, pillars holding up the unnessisarily tall roof. At the end of it, there was pedistal, and a huge door. She walked up to it, and gave a ginger touch to the pedistal. She brought her glove hand back, and frowned slightly at the dust. This place was obviously old. But it didn't seem to be in any form of disrepair at all. It was like this weird temple place had cheated time itself. Then she noticed the three gems sitting on the pedistal. They were rather dull, covered in a thick layer of dust.

" Huh. Those are probably worth a lot."

She cleaned the dust off of them, and whistled, impressed by the beauty of the gems with gold trimmings.

" Definitely worth a lot."

She set them down, and inspected the pedistal, hoping to find something else valuable. The teen may not have found any more gems, but she was intrigued by the carving on the top of the pedistal.

" It's not any language I recognize...are those notes?"

She looked a little closer, and sure enough, a short melody was portrayed, only three repeating notes. She was a little confused, but she decided that it probably wasn't going to hurt her she hoped. She pulled out a small flute, no longer than her fore-arm, out of the sleeve of her jacket. She loved the little instrument, helped her relax. She looked at the notes for a moment, before bringing the flute to her mouth. The melody echoed throughout the temple, and once she finished, everything was dead silent.

" Huh, I was expecting something a little more climacti-"

She was interrupted when the birthmark on her hand started to glow brightly, and the three stones rose, and floated above their respective spots on the pedistal. She breathed lightly, staring in awe as the door opened to reveal an almost completely empty. The only thing being there was a couple of sets of stairs, leading up to a pedistal, that had a sword stuck into it, almost hilt deep. She looked at the weapon in awe.

" What," She breathed heavily," have I just gotten myself into?"

The gems, Link, Steven, and Greg all celebrated the saving of the world with a pizza party at the barn. Or, mor acurately, Amethyst, Greg, Steven, and Link celebrated with a pizza party. The other gems didn't eat. The tall green gem had heard of the circular food from Steven, and he looked at it curiously, before shrugging.

" Eh. I've eaten weirder things."

He took a bite of the triangle, and was surprised by the taste. Was that tomato? Huh. He did like tomato.

" Not bad."

Steven grinned as he watched Link eat pizza for the first time, while eating some himself. Amethyst munched on the empty boxes that were left once everyone had eaten. Greg and Steven had a jam session, Link eventually joining, adding an Ocarina to the mix of Guitar and Ukelele. It sounded quite pleasant.

" Link," Greg asked,"do you play anything other than the Ocarina?"

Link nodded." I didn't have much time to worry about instruments-except for the Ocarina- on my quest, but I do know a little bit about harps."

Greg nodded, and the rest of them talked an enjoyed themselves well into the night. The moon hung high in the sky, and Link sat atop the barn, looking into the distance. Lapis approached him, Steven in tow.

" Hey Link, what's up."

The hero turned to the two." Just thinking."

Steven took a seat by him, and Lapis joined them.

" About what Hylia said."

He nodded. Lapis looked over confused.

" Hylia? Who's that."

Link looked at the sky." Hylia is the patron goddess of Hylians. She protected my race from the Demon King Demise, with the help of the First Hero. When the Hero died in battle, and Demise was sealed away, she gave up her physical form to be reincarnated and help the hero, who would also be reincarnated, fight the reincarnation of Demise, after Demise cursed the lineage of the hero and the goddess. I'm the reincarnate of the Hero, and Princess Zelda was the reincarnation of Hylia. The Evil King, Gannondorf, was the reincarnation of Demise, before he two was sealed. However, he may be rising soon, or even already risen. If what Hylia said is true, we need to find the reincarnation of Hylia."

Lapis looked surprised at the sudden information." How dangerous is he."

Link's eyes flashed for a second." Very. We won't be able to seal him away without the combined might of the Triforce of Courage, and the Triforce of Wisdom."

Lapis nodded." Okay, what's that."

Link looked over, and sighed." Long ago, the land was a rough, barren wasteland. Then, Din, the goddess of power came down, and carved the Earth with her flaming fists. After this, Farore, goddess of courage came down and spread life over the newly carved earth. Then, Nayru, goddess of wisdom came down and spread wisdom and law amongst the many lifeforms on Earth. Then, when they were done, they departed for the heavens, leaving behind three golden triangles, the Triforce, for the inhabitants. Should one gather all three peices of the Triforce, any wish they want will be granted. The Triforce resided in the Sacred Realm for the longest time, before Gannondorf was able to infiltrate it, and take the Triforce of Power, as that is what he most desired. The other two peices then chose their own bearers. I bear the Triforce of Courage."

He brought out his left hand, and pulled the glove off, revealing three triangles on it. The mark gave off an etherial glow, the one on the bottom right glowing the brightest. However, before he could put the glove back on, it let out a much stronger light, almost blinding. Link looked at the mark in surprise, and it faded back to darkness. Link looked out into the distance.

" The Bearer of Wisdom has awakened."

Steven looked at the mark in awe." Woah." He shook his head, and looked up to the hero. "How are we gonna find them?"

Link seemed troubled." I don't know."

Lapis looked at the two of them, before tightening her face.

" I want to help."

Link looked up, seemingly surprised. Lapis blushed a little, and continued.

" If this guy is really as dangerous as you say, than I don't think I'd want him to hurt Steven."

The boy grinned, and gave the water gem a hug. Link grinned.

" The more the merrier. Probably."

Jade flew out from his gem, and sat on his hat." Come on Link, normally I don't complain about sleep, but I am feeling drained. I think it's high time for us to finally have something more than a thirty minute nap. Link shrugged.

" I like the power naps. But I feel the same. Well, time to hit the hay then."

The green gem jumped off of the barn roof, rolling forward on the ground as not to hurt himself, as he had been told all those years ago, and promptly fell asleep, face first in the ground. Steven and Lapis giggled, before the water gem brought him down.

" Come on. If that guy's tired, then I can only imagine that you are."

Steven cried out indiginantly." Sleep is for the weak!"

Lapis giggled." Okay Mr. Strong guy, you don't have to sleep ever!"

Steven was quiet for a moment." Sleep is for the weak, but the strong can periodically indulge themselves as well!"

Lapis snorted at the boy's antics. He fell asleep quickly after she had set him down. She sighed, and looked around. The blue gem layed on the ground and stared up to the stars. What was this guy that Link was so scared of? Lapis hoped he wasn't as bad as Link was making him out to be. She couldn't have him hurting her only friends, now could she?

 _Link looked around, the only thing surrounding him being darkness. It was dead silent, other than a quiet dripping to the left of him. He turned, and frowned in disgust at the sight. Princess Zelda stood, blood dripping from every orafice on her body. She then fell and disappeared into darkness. Link turned to the right, and saw the gems on the ground, shattered. Then, he looked forward, seeing himself impaled with a sword. He sighed, and turned around._

 _" I know you're there."_

 _A deep chuckling came from the darkness, and a tall man stepped forward, his skin a pale shade of green, and his hair a firey orange. He had a wicked grin on his face, and his cape flowed behind him menacingly. Link, however, was not impressed. Gannondorf put on a fake pout._

 _" Aw, the little hero isn't scared of the big bad king. I remember when people would tremble at my name. All in due time, I suppose."_

 _Link rose an eyebrow, staying silent and stoic. Gannondorf laughed._

 _" Ah, I suppose you wouldn't know. I'm not on Earth anymore, Hero."_

 _Link said nothing. Gannondorf continued his monolouge._

 _" Oh, yes I've risen. It feels great, I trust you know. Because you certainly aren't dead, dear Hero. I figured you would have passed centuries ago, but look at you. You don't even look a day older! I must find the skin cream you've been using."_

 _Gannondorf let out a laugh, and Link simply stared at the Evil King._

 _" What's you game Gannondorf."_

 _The king almost looked surprised to hear Link talk. " Oh!" He said." The Hero has a voice! Straight to buisness as usual. You never were any fun, Hero."_

 _Link glared at the King, who simply smiled wickedly._

 _" I have a plan, Hero. I've made some very powerful allies, with armies. Numerous armies. I'd say I'd lucked out, if I wasn't miles stronger than them. Though, I'm sure they could easily take care of you. I made a mistake underestimating you the first time, Linky boy. But I won't do that again. So go and find the Bearer of Wisdom."_

 _His evil smirk turned into a malicious grin._

 _" And then bring her right to me."_

 _Gannondorf let out a loud, bone chilling cackle, and he and the shadows around him disappeared._

Link awoke with a groan, the Sun's light blinding him temporarily. He looked around, and noticed that the gem's had seemingly just finished packing up Greg's van. Link rose to his feet, and scanned the area for the young hybrid. He found him talking to Peridot in the barn, who was laid up on the tractor. He shrugged, and came out of the barn. Steven saw him, and grinned.

" Hey, Link, you're up! We're finally going home today! You are coming home right?"

He looked slightly confused." Why wouldn't I?"

Steven breathed a sigh of relief." It's just that both Lapis and Peridot opted to stay at the barn. I was worried that you would to. This barn is stealing all my friends away!"

Link chuckled, and ruffled the boy's hair." Don't worry about it kiddo. Your couch is way more comfortable than the ground anyway."

Steven chuckled as well, but then Link's smile dropped whenever he remembered why he wanted to talk to Steven in the first place.

" Steven, I need you to gather the gems. There's something important we need to discuss."

Steven glanced up." All of them."

Link nodded." Preferably."

Steven nodded, and gathered all of the gems in a circle around Link who looked at him expectedly.

" Okay, we have a big problem."

The gems listened as Link explained Hylia, as well as the dream he had that night to the the gems. They listened intently, sitting quietly once he finished. The first to talk was Amethyst.

The purple gem groaned." But I thought we just finished saving the world! Ugh, it's one mission after the other."

Link chuckled." Welcome to my world."

Pearl stood." You said that we need to find this " Bearer of Wisdom," right? Where are we supposed to find her, she could be anywhere."

Link nodded." We track her," he held up his hand, and showed the Triforce marking, and grinned," with this."

The marking pulsated softly at its mention. Pearl looked skeptical, but accepted the answer. Now it was Garnet's turn.

She looked at Link, keeping a straight face.

" I can't see any futures regarding this. There are so many pathes, that they've all blurred together. So we'll have to go into this blindly."

Link shook his head." Not blind, we just need glasses."

Pearl raised an eyebrow at his joke, while Amethyst barked out a laugh, Garnet stayed stoic, and Lapis, Peridot, and Steven all chuckled simultainiously. Pearl sighed.

" Okay, but how are we going to track this Bearer of Wisdom?"

Link grinned." Easy. Bring me a map."

Pearl complied, summoning one from her gem, and handed it to the Hero of Time. He held his hand over the map, using his magic as a sort of dowsing rod to see where the general area of the Wisdom peice was. His hand began to glow brightly over a part of southern Asia, close to the Himilayas. Link grinned, and circled the area.

" This," he held up the map," is where we're heading next."

 **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND THAT'S A WRAP! Once again, I'm sorry for being a little late with the chapter. Please forgive me. I love writing Gannondorf. He's so delightfully evil. It was fun. I hope you also liked it. If you did, remember to Follow and Favorite, if you haven't already, and leave a review! They're all greatly appreciated. Until next time!**

 **See You On The Flip-Side~Nick Write**


	16. Kakariko Village

**GOOD EVENING EVERYONE! Nick Write here, with the 16th chapter of The Gem of Time! Hey, guess what? I'm on time this time! Or at least, I should be. There will be no distractions. I will finish this chapter tonight, I'm DETERMINED TO. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it. Read On!**

Steven looked closely at the circled part of the map." That's...around the Himilayas, I think. Pearl?"

The white gem looked to the map, and nodded." Correct Steven."

The hybrid grinned, and Link looked to the others." Is there any Warp Pads in that area?"

Garnet thought for a moment." There's one outside of a small village not far from there. Probably about a 8 mile walk."

Link nodded." Sounds like a plan then. So, are we all going?"

Pearl and Garnet shook their heads." There's important buisness in the temple, and we're taking Amethyst with us."

Amethyst groaned." More artifact hunting?"

Pearl nodded." Yes."

Amethyst groaned again." Okay fine."

Link looked down to the half-human." You free Steven?"

Steven scoffed." Like I would miss this."

Link grinned." Okay, that's plus one. Lapis, Peridot? Either of you want to come?"

Peridot shrugged." I think I'll just stick around the barn. Maybe go hang in Steven's bathroom."

Steven gave the green gem an odd look, and she simply shrugged. Link looked to the last contestant.

" Lapis."

The water gem thought for a moment, and nodded." Better than being stuck here with her."

Peridot gave out an indigenent cry, but it fell on deaf ears. Link nodded, and stuck the map in his gem.

" Alright, then it's settled. Let's go."

They all went to the nearest Warp Pad, which was conveniently only over the hill to the left of the barn, and disapated into the air. They re-appeared at the Temple, and Steven quickly jumped off.

" Hold on, I have to get some supplies!"

He packed his Cheeseburger Backpack full of foods and drinks, and a few other survival tools, including slingshot that Link had given him. He hopped back onto the Warp Pad, and grinned.

" Okay, I'm ready."

They flashed away once again, this time landing in a snowy wasteland. Link pulled out the map, and gave it a look.

" Okay, let's see...about two miles from here, there's a village, and then about six miles up a mountain is where we'll find our Wisdom Bearer. Come on, let's go."

They began to walk East, in the direction of the village, and the mountain. As they walked in the snow, Steven looked over to Lapis.

" Hey Lapis, why don't we just fly there?"

Lapis looked at the boy, before shaking her head." We'd leave Link here. That'd probably be a bad idea."

Link spoke up from in front of them." You two can go ahead if you'd like. I'll catch up. I'd like to say I'm pretty quick on my feet. I'll make it to the village in twelve minutes, tops."

Steven grinned." How about we make it a race? Whoever gets there last...uh, I dunno."

Link grinned in return." I'm fine with making it a race. Lapis?"

Lapis looked at the two sheepishly." Uh, sure I guess? I'll carry Steven?"

Steven held his hand up." I wouldn't want to slow you down."

He summoned his shield, and jumped on top of it, giving himself a strong push, and he sped off. Lapis and Link watched as he disappeared into the distance, and Lapis took off, not wanting to be last. Link sighed, and pulled his boots off, and stored them into his gem.

" Jade, Bunny Hood mode."

Steven grinned and looked back. He noticed Lapis flying, and getting closer. Lucky for him, he had a nice hill going on, so he was going pretty fast. He chuckled. Lapis was getting closer, but Link was nowhere to seen. He turned foward, and noticed a large bump. He attmepted to steer clear of it, but he wasn't quick enough, and he rammed off of it full force. His shield launched into the air, and he clutched the sides of it like his life depended on it. Which it might have. He hit the ground, pretty hard, but he managed to keep the momentum, and not kill himself. He grinned. The shield was sliding much faster now, but Lapis was right over him. He frowned. She wasn't speeding up much, but they were still equal. He turned around, and noticed something coming at them both. He squinted, and he noticed a green pair of ears, sitting atop an equally green cap. Steven gulped. Link was going _fast_. He was shortening the distance between him and Steven and Lapis rather quickly, and the young halfling was actually beginning to think that he would catch up. Steven looked back, and saw the village in the distance. He began to push himself faster, and he noticed Lapis taking off faster. Link was still behind him, so he was in the middle. He reached the village, and Lapis was waiting for him, slightly panting, and Steven was panting heavily. They looked back, and Link was there, barely looking winded.

" Good workout, huh guys?"

Steven groaned." My legs feel like they're gonna fall off."

Lapis snorted." It was your idea to start the race. By the way, I won. What do I get?"

Link shrugged, and looked at the sign of the village." Bragging rights?"

Lapis looked offended, and huffed. She looked down to Steven, who was laying face first in the snow. She gave him a gentle shake.

" Hey, Steven, are you okay?"

He gave a weak thumbs-up, and immediately dropped it. The water gem rolled her eye's at the boy's antics. Link spoke up from behind her.

" Hey, can you read that? It's not in Hylian or English."

Before Lapis could respond that she couldn't read anything except for gem, a man inturrupted them.

" You are foriener? You see elder."

Link turned around, and gave a questioning look. The man in question had white hair, and blood red eyes, and a grin on his face.

" You are traveller, yes?"

Link nodded." Yes."

The man grinned even wider, as he ran into the village. He turned, and bekoned for them to follow.

" Come, you see village elder!"

Link looked at Lapis in confusion, who simply shrugged. Steven stood up, also confused, before they followed the man.

The man led the three of them to a large tent in the middle of thier villiage. Inside, an old woman sat, a sagely grin stretched across her face.

" Hello there travellers."

Unlike the man outside, she spoke perfect English, and had almost no accent at all.

"Welcome to Kakariko Village. I must say you are the first visitors we have had in a very long time."

Link's eyes widened momentarily. The name of the village sounded so familiar...where had he heard it. He took a look at the woman. She had dark skin, and the same starch white hair as the man outside, but that was to be expected of her old age. It cascaded down her sides in a long braid. Her barely opened eyes showed the same blood red, albeit much older looking and knowing. The woman brought Link out of his observations when she spoke.

" So, what brings you travellers here?"

Link spoke up immediately." We're going to explore the mountain. We're looking for something up there."

The woman's eyes twinkled, and her smile never left." Legend says that there's an ancient temple buried deep within the mountain closest to the village, that holds the secrets to the heiratage of our people."

Link's leaned in a little closer, clearly interested. The woman continued.

" However, no one has found it. They say that a hero from old will come back and reveal the location of the temple, and save the world from calamity."

Link nodded." Do you believe the legend."

The woman nodded." Of course. Everyone does."

Link nodded." I'm curious. What else is there to know about this temple?"

Lapis looked at the green clad gem, curious to see what he had planned. The woman smiled.

" Hold on. I'll make us some tea, and we'll talk."

Link nodded." Of course."

A few minutes later, and all four of them were sipping tea, and listening to the woman as she wove the tale of her people."

" Kakariko Village has been around for thousands of years. At the time of it's prime, disaster struck, and the village and the last of the people that lived there moved far away. However, the original location of the village is unknown. The people of Kakariko know that one day the Hero will come back and reveal the secrets of the village to them."

Link nodded once the women finished her story, and set the-now empty-tea cup down. He stood up, and nodded.

" Thank you for your hospitality. We'll be heading out now."

Lapis and Steven followed suit, and the three left the tent. Link was deep in thought. Steven looked up, and gave him a confused look.

" Hey, Link. What's up?"

Link shook his head." I don't know. But something about all of this feels very familiar. It's been such a long time though, I can't quite remember wh-"

A monsterous roar interrupted the green clad hero, and the three of them turned to see a huge beast rampaging throught the village. Then, Steven pointed out the gem on the creatures chest.

" Look! It's a corrupted gem!"

The three of them ran to the monster, and looked up to it. Steven looked to Link.

" What are we gonna do?"

Link thought for a moment, before a glint came into his eyes." Lapis can you control the snow?"

Lapis looked at the white substance for a moment, before raising a hand. Much to Link's pleasure, a small white column rose. He nodded.

" Try to keep the monster still, and I'll take it out quickly. Steven, I want you to make sure Lapis doesn't get hurt."

The three of them nodded, and Lapis began to move the snow. First, she wrapped the corrupted gem in place, momentarily stopping it, before it broke free of it's bonds. Link summoned Jade in sword and shield mode, and began to attack the gem. It wasn't doing much, and Link couldn't get a good hit on it. Lapis grabbed it once again, this time making chains and hardening the snow, turining it to ice. Steven looked at the blue gem in awe.

"Woah Lapis, I didn't know you could do that!"

Lapis grunted, having trouble keeping the beast restrained." Neither did I."

Link noticed the chains, and took his chance. He dropped the shield, and grabbed Jade with both hands.

" Jade, Longsword mode!"

The sword glowed, and almost doubled in length, now being about six feet long, instead of three. Link charged at the incapacitated gem with the sword, and impaled it straight through with the sword, going hilt deep. The two froze in place, and the corrupted gem poofed. Lapis let go of her control over the snow, and breathed heavily. Steven walked over and bubbled the gem, and Link looked around them, noticing the people gathering around the three, awe evident on their faces. Then, one man in the crowd pointed to Link.

" The Hero!"

Suddenly, the crowd was in uproar, all of them cheering happily. Then, the village elder walked forward, and knelt in front of Link. Link looked at the woman awkwardly.

" 'O Great Hero of Time. Thank you for saving our village. We are ever greatful."

Link muttered out a short 'no problem,' and looked back to Steven and Lapis, the first of which was helping the second of which up. The two looked to Link, who gave a small, sheepish, smile. He turned to the village elder.

" I need to know one thing. Do you know where the Bearer of Wisdom is?"

The woman looked surprised for a moment, before nodding.

" Yes, the Bearer of Wisdom-"

Before the old woman could finish, a young girl, with wavy white hair, and oval glasses came running in.

" Lady Impa, Lady Impa! We have a situation!"

She froze on sight of the three strangers, and the wreckage that was behind them. The old woman turned to the girl. The girl looked at her in confusion.

" Lady Impa, what's going on."

Impa gave the girl a small smile." Minerva, this is the Hero of Time and his companions. They just saved the village."

Minerva looked shocked." Really?!"

Impa then turned to Link, and gestured to Minerva with the same small smile.

" Hero, this is my granddaughter, Minerva."

Her smile stretched into a grin that only the most mischevious of old people could have.

" The Bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom."

 **AAAAAAAAAAAAAND THAT'S A WRAP! I hope all of you enjoyed the new chapter, and liked the little cliffhanger I gave you there. I'll see all of you next Monday, don't forget to Follow and Favorite if you liked it and haven't done so already, and leave a Review. Every single one is appreciated. As always...**

 **See You On The Flip-Side~Nick Write**


	17. The Bearer of Wisdom

**GOOD MORNING EVERYONE! Nick Write here, bringing you the 17th chapter of The Gem of Time! Yeah, I know I'm a little late. I recently got the newest Fire Emblem, and have been playing it a lot. It's really good. But that's not an excuse, I'm just really lazy. So, instead of keeping you waiting any longer, I'll start the chapter now. READ ON!**

It was deadly quiet for a couple of seconds, before Minerva spoke up.

" I'm WHAT?!"

Impa was still smiling." You're the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom."

The girl looked over to Link." And you're the Hero of Time?"

Link nodded." Yes."

Minerva placed a gloved hand to her head." I think I need to sit down."

Impa turned around and motioned for all of them to follow her. They went back to her tent, and the old grandmother put some more tea on the boil. Minerva was eyeing the three gems nervously. She then turned to her grandmother.

" Lady Impa. Why is the Hero here?"

Impa poured the tea." Well, I think you should ask the Hero that, yes?"

Link held a hand up." Call me Link."

They both nodded, and Link looked to Minerva.

" We came here in search of the Bearer of Wisdom. We need your help."

Minerva looked even more nervous." With what?"

Link gave her a serious look." Saving the world."

The girl nearly choked on her tea." What is a 16 year old girl going to do to save the world?!"

Link pointed to her right hand." You have the Triforce. That's plenty. Although, you will need some training."

Minerva took off her glove, showing her brand. Link did the same, pulling off his gauntlet, and showing his. Steven and Lapis awed at the almost identical marks. They glowed softly, filling the room with a warm light.

" The power of the Triforce is unparalleled. As such, only the other two bearers of the triforce can seal away the third if nessecary. We need you to help defeat The King of Evil."

Minerva's breath hitched." Ganondorf."

Link nodded. Minerva ran a hand through her hair. She had no idea where she had figured out that name, it simply popped into her head when she heard Link say that. She sighed.

" What do I need to do?"

Link put his gauntlet back on." You'll need to come back with us to America, and train with the Crystal Gems in order to get ready for when Ganondorf arrives."

Minerva held a hand up." Who what now?"

Steven spoke up this time, clearly excited." The Crystal Gems are a bunch space aliens that protect the Earth!

Minerva slowly looked to Link." A...liens?"

Link nodded, and showed the gemstone embedded on his chest." I've been permanantely fused with one, Steven's mother was one, and Lapis is a full gem."

Lapis gave a small wave, showing her control over the liquid, as her tea copied the movement, while Link and Steven just showed her their gems. Jade also flew out and sat atop Link's head, and listened to the conversation.

Minerva thought about the bombshell they just dropped, amazed and excited about leaving, but also nervous about having to help save the world. But she didn't have much of a choice.

She sighed." I'll go with you. But before we leave, I have something to say to Lady Impa."

Impa raised an eyebrow. Minerva pulled out a notepad, and began to scribble on it, and talk at the same time.

" I found this cavern that had a door open when my peice of the Triforce resonated with it, and I went down as far as I could, and came out in some kind of old temple.

She set the pad down, detailing a huge room, a pedistal made for holding three different things at a time, an old door that laid in disrepair. Beyond the door was another pedistal, this time with a sword sticking into it to about halfway. Steven looked at the drawing in awe.

" Wow, you're really good!"

Minerva smiled." Thanks!"

Link looked at the drawing, and his eyes widened." That's the Temple of Time!"

Minerva looked shocked." Really!? Are you sure?"

Link nodded." Absolutely. You have to take me here. That means the Master Sword is still around, and that's the only weapon that can kill Ganondorf."

Steven looked over to Link." Kill?"

Link nodded." It's the only way to stop him."

Steven seemed a little unsure, but before he could speak up, Minerva stood up.

" Come on then. It's up in the mountains."

Link stood, and motioned for the other two to follow, and they exited the tent.

They had been walking for about half an hour, Steven pulling on a large winter coat due to the mountain's lower temperatures. Link was following Minerva silently, and Lapis was making small talk with Steven.

Steven turned to Lapis." Hey Lapis. What do you think about all of this?"

Lapis looked at the younger boy, an eyebrow raised." I don't know what to think. Link says that Ganondorf is a threat, but I don't have anything else to go off except his word."

Steven looked intrigued." I trust Link, and Hylia also said that he was dangerous. And she's a goddess."

Lapis furrowed her brow." That's another thing. All this magic and goddesses and stuff is weird to. Gems are scientific creatures, and all of our abilities has a scientific explanation. But all this other stuff is out of my realm of understanding."

Steven nodded." It's weird. But I think that makes it exciting! New and cool stuff is always welcome in my opinion."

Lapis sighed, and looked to the Hero as he marched forward." I guess so."

Minerva stopped, and pointed to an opening in the mountain, leading down a dimly lit corridor.

" We're here."

Link stepped inside, and looked back." Let's go."

Lapis thought that the corridor must've led very deep into the mountain, because they were seemingly walking in it for hours. She almost thought that it never would've ended, but she was pleasantly surprised that it did. Link looked around the temple almost nostalgically.

" It's been years since I've been in the temple. And the Spiritual Stones! That takes me back."

Jade floated out of his gem." You told me that they were pretty, but those stones are beautiful."

Link grinned, before turning and looking into the room beyond this.

" The Temple of Time only has two rooms, the entrance and the Master Sword pedestal. The Master Sword pedestal is closed off by the Door of Time, which can only be opened when the Song of Time is played before the pedistal that the three Spiritual Stones rest on."

Steven's eyes were glowing with exitement, and Lapis was just confused.

" So that's what that song was!"

Link turned to her." You opened the Door of Time?"

Minerva nodded." There were some notes on the pedistal."

Link shook his head." No, there isn't."

Minerva looked confused." But I saw them there. It's how I played the song."

She turned to the pedistal, and saw that the notes were gone. She furrowed her brow.

" That's odd."

Link scratched his chin." Most likely the Triforce of Wisdom and it's magic to show you the memories of past bearers."

Steven snapped." So Triforce bearers are kinda like Avatar!"

Link and Lapis were confused." What?"

Steven sighed, but Minerva nodded, and grinned.

" I guess they sorta are."

Steven grinned." Yeah! Finally, someone get's my reference!"

The two high-fived, and Link shook his head." Anyway. The Master Sword."

He turned to the sword, and grabbed it by the hilt." Only the one that bears the Spirit of the Hero can weild the Master Sword."

And he pulled it out in one swift motion, despite the sword being almost hilt-deep into the stone. A bright blue light glowed around them, causing the others to shield their eyes. When they looked back, Link was gone.

Link stood in the middle of the Sage's Circle in the Sacred Realm, looking at Rauru. The old man, who had been doing something, turned around in surprise. The Sage's Circle now held a couch, TV, and several gaming systems, as well as games. There was a Mini Fridge in the corner as well. Link gave the old man a deadpanned look.

" What did you do here?"

Rauru quickly straightened out, and dusted off his robe.

" Uh, Link. What're you doing here? And how are you still alive? And is that a Jade gemstone embedded into your chest?"

Link nodded." Yes, I am alive, yes I do have a Jade gemstone embedded in my chest. As for why I'm here, I need the Master Sword."

Rauru looked surprised." You need the Blade of Evil's Bane? Why."

Link gave Rauru a serious look." Gannondorf has returned. The Bearer of Wisdom has been found, but she lacks experience and practice to master her abilities. Now I need the Sword. Are the other five sages here?"

Rauru looked down." I don't know where the other Sages are. They might have reawakened, or simply passed on. They haven't been here in the Sacred Realm for a very long time."

Link sighed." That's a problem. We need the Sages in order to seal Ganondorf."

Rauru shook his head." Perhaps not. If you can strip him of his Triforce peice, he'll be very killable."

Link thought for a moment." What would I do with the entire Triforce?"

Rauru looked at the green-clad Hero." If all pieces of the Triforce are gathered, you could make any wish you want. The Triforce would then return to the Sacred Realm, where you could seal it back as it was before you went on your quest."

Link nodded." I see. Rauru."

The man gave Link questioning look. The green-clad Hero nodded.

" Thank you."

Rauru nodded as well, and Link was encased in a blue crystal. He rose into the air, and a bright light engulfed him.

Almost as soon as Link disappeared, he reappeared. He lowered down in a large blue crystal, and it vanished as his feet touch the ground. He gave the Master Sword an experimental swing, and stored it into his gem. Jade flew out and landed on Link's head.

" Now that you've got that fancy sword, are we gonna quit working together?"

Link laughed." No, Jade. You are way more than just a sword."

Jade snickered." You better believe it."

Lapis walked over to Link." Where'd you go?"

Link turned to her." I went into the Sacred Realm and talked to Rauru, the Sage of Light. We had a little conversation."

He held his left hand up in the air, and the Triforce of Courage glowed with power.

" We can defeat Gannondorf once and for all."

 _While Gannondorf prided himself as a king, he didn't mind doing grunt work to get what he wanted. He stood by the leader of the alien colony, known as gems, and looked up to her._

 _" I do hope the preparations are to your liking, O' Lustrous White Diamond."_

 _White Diamond frowned at the Gerudo King." Spare me your pleasantries, demon. I'll have you cast into the dungeons if I even smell a whiff of your betrayl."_

 _Gannondorf bowed." But of course."_

 _White Diamond looked back to the ship." Now. How is the ship faring?"_

 _The Peridot that was with the two quickly brought up her screen._

 _" According to the progression of building at the moment, the fastest that the ship will be completed is withing the next 90 to 160 Star Cycles."_

 _White Diamond nodded." Very well. Once the ship is completed we leave for Planet 0298 for the Cluster, and then we invade the Metal army. We'll finally have control over their planet, and will be able to start the largest colony we've ever had there."_

 _The Peridot nodded, and went back to the maintinence deck. White Diamon turned to Gannondorf." As for you, demon. You will accompany Blue Diamond to the Earth as she checks on the progress of the Cluster, and mourns her sister. Remember, one hint of betrayl, and you won't live to see another Star Cycle."_

 _Gannondorf bowed, a sharkish grin on his face." As you command."_

 _White Diamond walked off, and Gannondorf looked at the glowing symbol on his hand._

 _" I'm coming for you, little hero."_

 **AAAAAAAAAAAAND THAT'S A WRAP! Sorry I'm a little late with this one, I've been a little held up. But, I think it was a pretty good chapter nontheless. A little slow, but still good. I hope you enjoyed it, and if you did, be sure to follow and favorite if you haven't already, and leave a Review! They're all appreciated. Until next time!**

 **See You On The Flip-Side~Nick Write**


	18. America The Beautiful

**GOOD EVENING EVERYONE! Nick Write here, bringing you the 18th chapter of Gem of Time! Yay, we start a new story arc today! I'm mainly going to be focusing on Minerva's training and Link and Lapis' relationship. Or lack of one. I'm trying, okay? Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. READ ON!**

The four of them returned to Kakariko Village, and Link told Minerva to gather her things and say her goodbyes. She wouldn't be back to the village for a very long time. Meanwhile, Link sat on the wall at the edge of the village, holding the Blade of Evil's Bane, tracing the markings on it, and thinking. Lapis flew up beside him, and sat as well.

" So that's the sword that's supposed to kill this 'King of Evil?'"

Link nodded, placing the sword down beside him." It's the only weapon that can."

Lapis touched the sword gently, jerking her hand back and yelping when the sword burned her. She held her hand close to her body, rubbing it softly. Link looked over when she yelped.

" Woah now," he held his hands up," the Master Sword can only be weilded by the Hero. Here, let me see your hand."

She slowly held her hand out, and Link gently grabbed it and whispered something quietly, before giving the burn on her palm a small peck. She blushed, and her hand was encased with a green aura, and the burn slowly disappeared. Lapis looked at her hand in awe.

" What did you do?"

Link smiled." It's a healing spell I know. It's called Farore's Whisper."

Lapis nodded, still looking at her healed hand." I could've fixed myself."

Link shrugged." It was my sword that burnt you. Besides, it's faster and easier."

Lapis blushed a little." I guess so."

The two were quiet for a moment, and then Steven yelled up to them from the ground.

" Hey! Minerva's ready to leave! Come on!"

Link hopped down, and Lapis flew down, the two landing in front of the other two at the same time. Link turned, looked back to the small group.

" Shall we?"

Minerva bowed." We shall."

And they started to walk.

It wasn't long before they reached the Warp Pad and went back to the Barn. It was quiet and peaceful, as the Crystal Gems had left for the temple, and Peridot was most likely off doing something else entirely. Minerva took in a breath of air, sweating slightly as the heat began to get to her through her winter clothes. Steven giggled.

" Maybe we should get you changed into something a little more Summer appropriate."

Minerva nodded, and asked the boy to lead the way, and they were off. Lapis looked around for Peridot, and Link was silently carving a stick with Jade in some sort of knife mode. A moment later, Minerva returned wearing a white baseball shirt, with blue sleeves, and a pair of blue jeans. She held her bag on her shoulder, looking much better in the hotter temperatures of America. Steven motioned them all to follow.

" Come on, let's get back to the Temple. I'm sure the Gems will be waiting on us."

Minerva nodded, and followed, shortly followed by Link, while Lapis stayed behind.

" I think I'll go find Peridot. I'll swing by tomorrow."

Steven nodded, and activated the Warp Pad, bringing the three back to the Gem Temple with a house built on the side. Link sighed, and collapsed on the couch.

" I missed you, old friend."

Steven sighed at Link, and turned to Minerva." I've got an air mattress in the closet for when dad comes over and we all chill in the living room. Will that be okay?"

Minerva nodded." I'm sure there are much worse places to sleep. And at this point I don't care."

Steven nodded, and drug out the air mattress, using the pump to air it up. Once he was done, Minerva crashed on it, and Steven bid her a good night, and went to jump into his own bed. Minerva sighed comfortably, and Link spoke up from the couch.

" Get your rest Minerva. We've got a full day ahead of us tomorrow."

So she did.

The next day she awoke to the smell of something cooking. She rose groggily, noticing that the mattress had deflated around her. She looked to the couch, and noticed Link sleeping soundly, hat covering his face and still wearing the same tunic. Minerva wondered if he ever changed clothes. She rose and balled the mattress up, and pushed it under the coffee table. She walked over to Steven, and leaned onto the bar.

" Good Morning, Minerva!"

She mumbled a small 'Good Morning' back, and yawned into her hand. Steven continued prodding whatever he had in the skillet.

" The Gems went out on a mission, so as soon as Connie gets here, we'll go to the Sky Arena to train."

Minerva raised an eyebrow." Who's Connie?"

Steven didn't turn his head." She's a friend of mine."

Minerva nodded, and looked to Link on the couch, Jade attempting to get him up. She sighed and walked over. Jade looked over to her.

" Need some help?"

The gem in her fairy form bobbed up and downed, and gently flew out of the way. Minerva walked forward, and cracked her knuckles. She reached into her pocket, and pulled out a pepper. She gently broke it, and rubbed the contents onto Link's mouth. There was a second of silence, before Link suddenly sprung to life, face bright red. He reached into his gem, and pulled out a jar of milk, chugging the whole thing in one swig. He breathed heavily, and glared up to Minerva.

" What was that for?" he gasped out.

Minerva smirked." Jade asked for some help waking you up. I always keep those Ghost Peppers on me in case I get stuck in the mountains and got too cold. Probably won't be much use to me except for waking you up."

Link grumbled dejectedly, and Steven piped up from the Kitchen.

" You did drink that milk fast, though. It was awesome!"

He turned, and spread some pancakes onto four plates. He smiled.

"Breakfast is served!"

They began to eat, and about half-way through, Connie came through the door, and Steven offered her a plate.

She smiled warmly." Thanks Steven! I skipped breakfast to get here faster."

A small blush crossed Steven's face." You're welcome."

Minerva noticed the blush, and pointed to her with her fork, whispering to Link as she did.

" Steven has a thing for her."

Link nodded, and whispered back, grinning." Totally."

Connie looked over Steven's shoulder, and saw Link, and waved." Hey Link."

He nodded." Good Morning."

Then she noticed the girl sitting beside Link, dressed in what looked like a baseball outfit, with white curly hair that cascaded down her back gracefully, and oval glasses, similar to the ones Connie herself used to wear. Her skin was pale, and she had Crimson Eyes. Connie looked to Steven.

" Who's that?"

Steven looked over to Minerva, and grinned." Oh that's Minerva, she's the Bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom."

Connie looked confused." What now?"

Link didn't want to explain it again." She's gonna help us kill the bad guy. It's why we're training."

Connie, 'ohed' and looked to Steven for more explanation.

Steven mouthed to her ' I'll tell you later,' and brought Connie to Minerva.

Minerva held her hand out." Minerva."

Connie shook it." Connie."

Link clapped his hands." Great, now that every one is aquainted, let's eat and get on with the training."

They all complied, and finished the pancakes-which were quite good, Link had to admit- and were about to leave for the Sky Arena, when Peridot and Lapis came in. The shorter green gem grinned.

" Hello fellow Crystal Gems!"

Link ignored Peridot, and looked towards the blue gem." Hey Lapis."

She smiled and nodded in his direction." Hey Link. So the training starts today."

He nodded." Yep."

Peridot grinned." Do you mind if we accompany your party to train?"

Link shrugged." Not really."

Peridot grinned wider, looking victorious." Splendid! I'll have all of you know that I've grown quite advanced in my Ferrokenisis!"

All of them save Minerva looked at her confused. Minerva seemed impressed." So you can control metal with your mind?"

Peridot looked to Minerva appreciatively." Precisely!"

Link seemed surprised." Really? Since when?"

" When you and Lapis rode on that roller coaster a few chapters back, she found out after Amethyst tried to throw her tablet into the ocean." Steven pointed out.

Link seemed impressed." That can be useful."

Peridot beamed." Yes, it can!"

Lapis rolled her eyes, and went to the group standing on the Warp Pad. Link grinned sheepishly at the covered Warp Pad.

" We certainly have a full group, don't we?"

Steven held his hands out, and warped all six of them to the Sky Arena, and they made their way to the colleseum. Link paced in front of them in Drill Seargeant fashion, telling them what they were to do.

" Okay, today our training will be split into three parts. First, physical training. Everyone will participate in that. Second, we will practice on magical abilities and mental stuff. Then, we'll have a sparring session. Whoever can beat me in combat can skip training tomorrow. Now."

He turned to the group, a mischevious grin adorning his face.

" Let's begin."

They began with standard working out. Cardio and Calisthenics, no one really able to keep up with Link as his stamina was unmatched, and Peridot and Lapis had little physical strength, so they were struggling regardless. Once they had finished that, and took about ten laps around the arena, Link said that their warm up was done. They were told to grab a partner, and get into a meditative state. Link looked at all of them and breathed in deeply.

" I've never been one for meditation, but it's necessary that we do it in order for you to be at top mental capacity, even if you don't have any magical ability."

Connie blushed a little, and fixed her hands. Link looked to them.

" Close your eyes, and look deep within yourself. Feel the world around you, and your connection to it. What is your place?"

Minerva was the first to enter the state, coming to a lone room, with a closed door. The smell of old books and ink filled her nose. Darkness surrounded her, save for the light coming through the door on the other side. She gave the door a small push, but the door didn't budge. She frowned, and began to inspect the door closely.

Lapis was the second to enter the state. Minerva was startled when another door sprang from the darkness next to hers, and Lapis appeared in the room of darkness as well. The sound of waves lapping on a shore could be heard from the other side of the door. Lapis went to push open the door, but Minerva stopped her.

" They won't budge. Maybe we should wait for the rest of them to show up."

Steven entered the state third, the door that appeared when he did was covered in vines and rose petals. He could smell the fresh air of a garden, and there was a faint noise of rushing water somewhere within. He turned and saw Minerva and Lapis chatting idly. When the noticed him, they told him the doors wouldn't open yet, and to wait.

Peridot entered fourth, a foreboding metal door with cogs and gears on it appearing for her. Machinery whirred to life, and the crashing of metal could be heard on the other side. She waited like Minerva, Lapis, and Steven.

Connie entered afterwards. Her door was large and wooden, but simple. There was no noise on the other side of her door, but her heart pounded when she saw it. She didn't know why. Soon after she appeared in the room, Link appeared, along with an exact copy of what Minerva recognized to be the Door of Time, except with a large slit in the middle of it. He had his hands folded.

" I'm sure by now you've noticed that you can't open the door like you'd normally open a door. That's because the door leads to your inner subconscious. You'll need to find out what's inside. It'll help you in the future. We'll be trying to open it today. However, I'll warn you. You won't be opening the door today. It won't be that easy, and the way inside is taxing. Also, you cannot enter someone else's door. It's a journey they alone can go through. Begin."

All five of them began to try to open the door. No one was making any head way, and every time they touched the door, they got a little bit more drained and drowsy feeling. Connie collapsed to the floor after a few tries, breathing heavily. Link walked over, and helped her up.

" Okay, that's enough for today. Leave the state and take a break. I'm sure we'll be sparring withing the next hour. Prepare."

He tapped her forehead, and she and her door dissolved into the shadow. Over the next few minutes, everyone else began to fall out, in order being Lapis, Steven, Peridot, and then finally Minerva. Link left once everyone had wore themselves out trying to open the door. Everyone was breathing heavily, and sitting on the ground. He stood up, and brushed off his tunic.

" The doors won't be opened by any conventional means. It's going to be creative and obscure. Think about it once we finish training. We'll take about an hour for the effects of the mind-scape to wear off, and then we'll finish the training out by sparring."

And with that, he promptly laid down and passed out.

 **AAAAAAAAAAND THAT'S A WRAP! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and stay tuned for next week when everyone spars! It's going to be a blast! If you enjoyed it, or want to see what happens next, leave a follow or a favorite, if you haven't already, and feel free to leave a review! They are very much appreciated, and every single one counts! Okay, I hope you stick around, and I'll**

 **See You On The Flip-Side~Nick Write**


	19. Let's Spar!

**GOOD EVENING EVERYONE! Nick Write here, bringing you the 19th chapter of The Gem of Time! How are you today? I hope you're doing good. Last week's chapter was a bit of a slow one, but today...oh today. It's probably gonna be pretty slow as well. Lol sorry guys and gals. READ ON!**

The five sat in a sort of circle. They were about a half hour into their recovery, and were currently preparing for their spar with Link. Steven rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

" I think he'll let all of us fight him at once. He is pretty strong, so I think that'd make it fair."

Minerva shrugged." I don't know. I think it'd make more sense if he was fighting us one at a time. It's a good way to evaluate what one's working with. Maybe pairs, but that's stretching it as well."

Connie nodded." That makes sense. Maybe we'll have some sort of schedule to follow."

Lapis frowned." I've never been one for schedules."

Peridot gasped." Schedules make the world go round! How are you supposed to get anything done if you don't know, when or what to do?"

Lapis ignored the little green bean, instead opting to stand up.

" I'll be right back. I'm gonna grab a bottle of water."

They nodded, and continued to prepare for what was most likely going to be the hardest part of that day's training session. Lapis retuned soon, with a bottle of water in tow. She sat back by the others, looking over to the sleeping hero. His hat covered his eyes, but Lapis notcied that his mouth was twitching upwards slightly.

 _'Hmm. Perhaps he's having a nice dream,'_ She thought to herself. She watched for a minute longer, before turning back to the others. As soon as she did, Link's small smile changed to a grimace.

 _As soon as Link fell asleep, he woke up in Hyrule Field. He rose, being much shorter than normal, and looked around. He was a child again, laying at the gate in front of Hyrule Castle Town. The gate began to lower, going down as the sun came up. Once it finished it's course, Link set off into the town. It seemed to be in the exact condition it was in before Gannondorf attacked. He spotted Malon sitting in front of the fountain, humming quietly to herself, and kicking back and fourth. He smiled, and walked up to her. She smiled in his direction._

 _" I'm coming for you Hero of Time."_

 _Link's smile dropped immediately. Of course he couldn't have a nice dream. He growled._

 _" Stop hiding behind my pleasant memories Gannondorf."_

 _The world went black, and the King of Evil showed himself again. He made a fake pouty face._

 _" You know, I searched all your memories, and I couldn't find a single good one with me in it! Unbelievable! I thought we had something Link."_

 _Link didn't drop his glare." You're mistaked Gannondorf."_

 _The King of Evil raised an eyebrow." Oh? Really now?"_

 _The Hero of Time gave a grine." Yeah. I do have a pleasant memory of you. When I drove the Master Sword into your forehead hilt-deep."_

 _Gannondorf laughed." There's the spunk! You know, I kind of missed you Link. I might even feel a little bad about destroying you. Might."_

 _Link crossed his arms." So is there something you actually wanna tell me, demon, or are you just going to waste my time?"_

 _Gannondorf grinned wickedly." Yes. Of course. Like I said, Hero. I'm coming for you, and I'm bringing re-enforcements. We'll be on Earth very soon. Be a dear, and bring me the Bearer of Wisdom when I arrive."_

 _Link growled." Would you like cheese with that?"_

 _Gannondorf tapped his chin with a thoughtful expression." Hmm, I don't think so. But maybe some wine, that way I can celebrate finally getting rid of you."_

 _The King of Evil let out a chilling laugh." I'll be seeing you, Hero! And when I do."_

 _He grinned wickedly." You'll be nothing but dust beneath my boot."_

 _He swiped a hand forward, and Link awoke with a start._

The others were startled when Link jumped from his position with a gasp. They all turned back around. Lapis being the closest looked at him, concerned.

" Are you alright?"

Link nodded, before standing up, dusting his tunic off in the process. He looked at the five, a seemingly new fire in his eyes.

" So. Who wants to go first?"

The five of them looked amongst each other uneasily, before Connie stepped forward. Link grinned.

" Ah, the little knight it is. Good."

Link drew Jade out as a sabre, and then split it in two two identical sabres. He twirled them around experimentally, before lowering into a battle position. Connie had Rose's sword, and held it in front of her, looking a little worried.

Link frowned a little." First things first. Confidence. You need to have confidence in yourself. Others won't believe in you if you don't first believe in yourself."

Connie nodded, before steeling her gaze a little. She lowered herself as well, holding the sword in both hands. Link closely examined her, and moved forward quickly. Surprised, Connie used the sword to block the attack. Her arms shook as the force of Link's attack, but she held fast. Link jumped back, and she watched him carefully, looking for any weak points. She noticed that the way he was carrying himself, he left his legs open enough to roll under, exposing his back. Connie ran forward, and rolled between his legs, and took a swing at his back. Link spun around and blocked with his swords. He grinned.

" Very good. The stance I'm using now is a parallel to how heavy opponents carry themselves. Your small, agile stature is good for taking these enemies down, rather than brute forcing them. It's a style of battle I used heavily when I was young."

He lowered his weapons, and Connie mirrored the movement. Link motioned for her to hand her Rose's Sword. He picked it up, surprised slightly by it's weight. It was lighter than most broadswords, but heavier than the rapiers he saw Pearl use. About the weight of a one handed longsword. He frowned a little.

" However, just as I thought, that style of combat is not the most compatible with this sword. Perhaps ask Pearl for a lighter sword, or we can make you one."

Connie nodded, and took Rose's Sword back. She handed it to Steven, who sheathed it. Next, Peridot stepped forward, a confident look on her face. Link thought for a moment, before simply getting into a normal stance, unarmed. Peridot looked confused for a second.

" You aren't going to use your sword?"

Link shook his head." You aren't armed, therefore, I am not armed."

Peridot went to respond, before shrugging. She lowered into a position, feet wide apart, and hands in front of her, like she was about to grab something in front of her. Link charged at her, and threw a punch. Peridot barely managed to move, but part of his gauntlet knicked her side. She winced in pain, and Link quickly recovered from the miss. He seemed impressed.

" You're fast."

Peridot didn't say anything, observing his person for anything metal. She was caught up, and she recieved a quick punch to the stomach. She flew back a few feet, stumbling and landing on her feet. She groaned in pain at the hit, but Peridots were sturdy, and she noticed something when he hit her. His gauntlets were encased in metal, and there was some jingling going on under his tunic. Peridot grinned, and got back into her stance, dodging another attack by Link. She focused, and began to take control of Link's hands. She struggled, as Link pulled back with immense strength. She felt like she was lifting a four ton building. However, she encountered a problem.

" I see that you realize it."

He let go, and so did Peridot, panting heavily.

" You're meant for more of a supportive role. You stay in the back, and help the others with your metal controlling. Very helpful if there's a fast, or strong enemy that's difficult to land a hit on."

Peridot nodded, still fatigued from her and Link's little Tug O War. She sat on one of the seats in the Sky Arena sitting area. Steven then stepped forward, his mother's sword in his right hand, and his left hand ready to summon a shield. He had a confident smile on his face. Link grinned, and summoned Jade in her sword and shield form. He got in his normal stance. Steven did the same, even copying his stance. Link snickered.

' _That's what I get for training him my way.'_

Steven attacked first, giving a strong arc at Link, snapping him out of his daze. He held up his shield, and blocked the attack with ease. He spun, and swung back, but Steven similarly blocked his attack. Link grinned. This was going to be fun.

Link backflipped away from the boy, and held his shield in front of him, and held his sword far behind him. Jade began to glow with a soft blue light, and after a few seconds became a vibrant red. He ran forward, and unleashed a powerful Spin Attack. Steven held up his bubble, but it shattered on impact, and Link was thrown back several feet. Steven looked to Link with determination, before throwing his shield like a boomerang towards Link. The green clad swordsman blocked the shield, but then Steven jumped up, and came down in a strong arc. He hit Link atop the head with the flat of his blade, and grinned. Link immediately reeled back from the attack, but in the process, he gave a swift kick to the pillar beside him, and Steven had to jump out of the way to avoid the giant stone pillar that was to collapse on top of him. He coughed from the dust let off, and when it cleared, Link had his blade at his throat. Steven's breath hitched for a moment, before Link stepped back. Jade went back into fairy form. Link grinned.

" You're definitely improving. Points for landing a hit. However, it'd do you well to pay more to your surroundings. Other than that, good spar."

Link turned to the rest of them." Who's next?"

Minerva stepped forward, a little nervous." Uh, I don't have a weapon on me."

Link reached into his bag, and pulled out a couple of small daggers and a bow.

" Zelda, the Bearer of Wisdom before you, was a natural at bows, and she was taught by the last Shiekah how to weild daggers. You've inherited her skill, you just have to hone it."

Minerva nodded, the daggers feeling familiar in her hands. As she did so, Jade went into a dagger form. Link spun them around, recieving a small cry from the weaponized gem conciousness. He lowered into a position, and Minerva recognized it, and lowered into the same position. She studied Link closely, taking note of the important parts of his stance. His daggers were shorter than hers, so she had more reach. His stance was wide, but low to the ground, and she was sure that he was quick on his feet. The best course of action would be to distance herself, and pick at him with the bow. If that didn't work, she could use her heritage to her advantage. Link may know the Shiekah style properly, but Minerva was from a line of Shiekan warriors. She began to move backwards, watching Link carefully, who seemed to be eyeing her as well. Soon, he began to move as well. She slowly reached up, not letting go of the dagger, and grabbed the bow. When she knocked an arrow, it began to glow, humming softly. Link seemed surprised, but quickly shook it off, and ran towards her. She shot the arrow, and Link averted his eyes from the blinding light. Minerva quickly ran towards him, and was upon him with the daggers once the light subsided. She was a blur of movements, the blinded Hylian struggling to keep up and not see at the same time. Link back flipped away, and closed his eyes. Minerva was still as possible, before jumping, and landing an ariel attack on the Hero. Link blocked her daggers with his daggers. They scratched across each other, this time Link being able to match his speed. His eyes were closed shut, but she could see his long ears twitch as the blades crashed. She mentally cursed. He must be using the sounds of the blades and the air to judge the attacks. Link grinned a little, feeling Minerva's confidence drop some. Eyes still closed, he lunged forward, pressing his daggers gently against Minerva's neck at the front and back. Minerva froze stiff, her blade positioned over Link's stomach. Link noticed it, and grinned.

" It's close, but I'd live from the blow. I'd give you props for the light arrows, but you didn't seem to expect that. We're going to have to do one on one training for your magic. You can keep the daggers and the bow."

Minerva grinned, and gave the daggers a few swings, before sticking them in her belt loops, and her bow around the quiver she was also given. She sat by the others that had alread fought, and watched, seeing that Lapis was the only one left. She stepped forward, looking indifferent. Link raised an eyebrow.

" Do you need a weapon?"

Lapis shook her head." I've got it covered."

Link grinned, before lowering himself, raising his fists similarly to how he fought Peridot. Lapis smirked, and waited. Link made the first move, and charged, while Lapis stood there. Link threw his punch forward, but before he could hit, water wrapped around his hand, and stopped his fist. He seemed surprised, before grinning.

" Clever girl."

Lapis flicked him to the side, and he flipped in the air, landing on his feet. He grinned.

" So you wanna play it that way, do you?"

Wind began to pick up in the arena, and Link's hands were encased in swirling vortexes. Lapis looked surprised, before lowering herself as well, her water swirling gently around her. Link rushed forward, two blades of wind appearing in his hands. Lapis's water quivered, but she held it fast, using it to stop Link's attacks. Suddenly, the wind picked up even more, and Link slammed his palms into the ground. There was a blast of air, and Link disappeared, re-appearing half-way across the arena. He pulled out his bow, and knocked an arrow, shooting directly towards Lapis. Said water gem used part of the water to block the attack. However, she also noticed the glowing blue on the end of it, and split the supply of water in half. The arrow hit, freezing the water solid, and she flung the other water at Link, making it form a long blade of water. He summoned Jade as a shield, the water splashing hardly against its surface. He grinned, and finally pulled out his sword. Lapis pulled the water back, making her own, a long rapier made of water. Link grinned, and the sword duel began. Lapis held the water blade far in front of her, keeping Link away from her lack of defence, so he couldn't win. Unfortunately, Link had dealt with water users before. He blocked the rapier again, and pulled out his hookshot, shooting it towards Lapis. Lapis used the water to grab it before it could reach her. Link grinned. He pulled the retract trigger, and came flying forward, sword outstretched. He flipped over the water, and positioned his sword in front of her neck. The blue gem sighed, and let go of the water. Link grinned.

" You have one main problem."

Lapis raised an eyebrow, questioning the Hero of Time." And what is that?"

Link pointed to the water bottle in her pocket. " You rely a lot on water. You should learn how to use a weapon, and carry some water around with you at all times. It may help you significantly if you aren't close to a water source."

Lapis nodded, and sat with the rest of them. Link paced in front of them.

" We've made great strides in evaluation today. I originally thought that we would continue on the day after tomorrow. However, because Ganonndorf will be on Earth within the coming weeks, we need all the practice we can get. We'll pick up tomorrow."

They all breathed a simultanious sigh of relief. Link grinned. They all headed to the Temple, Lapis and Peridot leaving to go back to the barn, as well as Connie and Steven leaving to go to the Boardwalk for the afternoon, before Connie had to go back home. Minerva collapsed on the air mattress after blowing it up, falling asleep immediately. Most likely due to exauhstion of her newly discovered magic. Link sighed, and laid back on the couch. He thought back to the dream he had with Gannondorf, and frowned. Would they be able to fight the King of Evil and his re-enforcements? Link certainly hoped so, otherwise this planet was in more danger than just some aliens harvesting the place. Link sighed, and covered his eyes with his hat.

Maybe he could actually get a full night's sleep.

 **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND THAT'S A WRAP FOLKS! Hope you enjoyed chapter 19! Remember to follow and favorite if you enjoyed it, and leave a review. Every single one is appreciated! Tune in next week for chapter 20, and as always.**

 **See You On The Flip-Side~Nick Write**


	20. I Saw it Once in a Dream

**GOOD EVENING EVERYONE! Nick Write here, bringing you all the 20th Chapter of The Gem of Time! Fun stuff, right? Yeah I know. We're actually beginning to come to a close on the story. Probably another 10-15 chapters left. Yeah I know that's like 10 to 15 weeks at least, but still. I'm determined to finish this in my sophomore year dammit. Anyways, I've kept you all long enough. Read on!**

When Link awoke, Minerva gave him a deadpanned look from the kitchen.

" Well, look who's decided to finally roll off of that couch. Are we going to train today or what. I'm really feeling it."

Link rolled his eyes, and stretched out, blearily blinking the sleep out of his eyes, and looked at Minerva.

" I was planning on it. Where's Steven?"

Minerva thought for a moment." I think he went to his dad? I dunno, I woke up and Garnet was coming back from just having a talk with him or something."

Link rose an eye brow in confusion." Really? Hmmm..."

The green-clad gem walked over to the Temple door, and gave a sharp knock.

" Garnet."

They waited a few seconds, and then the door split, revealing the permafusion. She looked to Link.

" Yes?"

The green-clad hero gave her a casual look." Do you know where Steven went? I heard that you had just talked to him."

Garnet looked at him." He's at his dad van at the moment."

Link nodded." Okay, I'll go fetch him. Then all we'll need is Connie, Lapis, and Peridot."

Minerva spoke up from the kitchen, where she was sipping a juice box." Oh, she just left actually. Probably not to far from here by now."

Link nodded, and straightened his belt." Ok. I'll be back soon."

He walked out of the door, and walked up the beach. Link breathed in the near-afternoon beach air, and sighed in content as he did. He had no idea that a beach would be this pleasant, considering that Hyrule was a land-locked country, Lake Hylia being the closest thing they had. Link shook his head. He had to retrieve the kid. He came upon the Car Wash soon, the large " It's a Wash!" sign brightly lit, even though it was the middle of the day. He shook his head, and noticed that the van was pulling away. Link raised an eyebrow. He breifly wondered if he should follow them, before shrugging and jogging after them. Now, Link wasn't the fastest guy, but he could keep a steady pace forever. It was part of his near-limitless Hylian stamina. He focused on the van that was continuously getting smaller in his field of vision. He picked up his pace, and noticed that the van was coming to a stop. He slowed down as well, and gently stepped on the back as they waited for the traffic light to change. Thankfully they didn't notice the green clad gem, and he rode in silence as the continued. He got a few funny looks from a few people, but he simply held a finger to his lips in a 'Shh' gesture. They rode for a surprisingly long time, stopping at a motel just out of the city. They exited the van, and Link hopped off the back, his boots making a smack noise on the pavement. The two of them spun around, and walked to the back of the van, seeing Link there. Steven looked at him surprised.

" Link?! What are you doing here?!"

Link looked down to the boy, and put a hand on his shoulder." Oh, hey there Steven. I was just coming to get you for training. If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing?"

Steven grinned sheepishly." Uh, I had this dream last night."

Steven went on to explain how he had a dream about a Pink Palinquin in a flower field, and when he woke up he was crying. After he did that, he had went back to the library, thinking he saw something similar, and remembered when he looked into the journal of one of the founders of the city. He brought it back to the gems, and had an arguement because they wouldn't take him there or tell him anything about what was there. Then Garnet let some things slip, and how he felt bad about breaking his promise that he wouldn't go there, but he just had to know. He explained that he had saw that it was marked on the map, and went to his dad, and they were coming to talk his uncle to get him to take them to Korea. After he finished the story, Steven seemed kinda guilty.

" So," he started," I guess you're gonna take me back to the gems now?"

Link looked at the guilty kid for a moment, before laughing heartily, and looking at the young kid with a grin.

" Kid, if there's anything to know about me, is that I'm no stranger to grand adventures. Here, I'll go home and wait for you. I won't say a word about Korea, and if you aren't back in about..."

Link looked up to the sun, and frowned a little.

" Ten at night? Yeah let's go with that. I'll tell the gems and we'll come searching for you."

Steven beamed at the green-clad gem, the stars in his eyes gleaming. " Thank you Link!"

Link grinned, and pat the boy on the head." No problem kid."

The green-clad gem turned around, and began to walk away. Greg called to him.

" Hey! Do you need a ride back?"

Link waved a hand over his shoulder." Nah, I'll be fine."

He continued to walk, and eventually disappeared from Greg and Steven's sight. They shrugged, and turned back to the motel, seeing a small plane parked off to the side. Steven grinned up to Greg, who grinned right back.

Link enjoyed his walk back to Beach City. It gave him a moment to think about what was going on. Steven had a dream where he saw something, and woke up crying. He's going to the place where the dream had taken place. Link hadn't stopped him from going, but he had a real foreboding feeling about the entire situation. As far as Steven knew, he was just going to go back to the Temple and wait. Link grinned to himself. He had to pay a little visit to a certain blue, winged gem. He quickened his pace to a light jog, similar to how he had been jogging earlier, and ran through the small beachside city, going to the said beachside of the city. He reached the Temple, seening Minerva sitting on the floor, legs crossed, and breathing in and out slowly. The green-clad gem made his way past her, and stepped onto the Warp Pad that sat before the Temple Entrance.

" Hey, I'll be back later. I'm going to the barn."

Minerva said nothing, but made an "Okay" symbol with her hands, no other part of her moving otherwise. Link nodded, and activated the Warp Pad, feeling a familiar feeling in the gem that sat on his chest. Jade flew out and sat on his head.

" So, I'm guessing you're getting the water girl to take you to Korea?"

Link gave a small grin." You know me so well. Besides. Did you think I was just going to let the kid go just himself and his old man?"

Jade looked at him." Then why didn't you just hitch a ride with him?"

Link grinned." Bringing some extra fire power. Or water pressure in this case, I suppose."

The green-clad gem could practically hear Jade's eyes roll, as she laid back on his hat, and they appeared at the barn with a flash of light. Link looked out over the fields of corn and other produce, the sight never failing to him impress him. He rememebered when he first saw the farm a few weeks ago, and smiled, giving a sharp knock to the front door. He waited for a second, and then Peridot came into view, the shorter green gem giving him a surprised look.

" Oh, hello Link. To what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?"

Link grinned, and ruffled the short gem's hair." I see you've been reading that book that Steven got you. I'm just here to talk to Lapis though."

Peridot hissed, and tried to fix her hair, before giving up, and gesturing to the hammock in the back.

" She's over there. Now if you excuse me, I've got to fix my hair again today."

She walked off, grumbling the whole way, and Link walked over to the hammock in the back. Lapis was asleep, softly breathing, and small smile stuck on her face. Link smiled at the sight. It was pretty cute. Sadly, it had to end now. He gave a gently poke to Lapis' nose, and she awoke with a jump. Link smiled sheepishly.

" Woah, I didn't mean to startle you. I had no idea you were such a light sleeper."

Lapis looked at the green-clad gem with a confused look for a second." Link? What are you doing here."

Link smiled." Well, it just so happens that I need your help on a mission of sorts."

Lapis just seemed even more confused." Wait, mission? What are you talking about."

Link explained what Steven was going to do, and how he needed some help to get to Korea. Lapis thought for a moment, before caving in, and rolling her body out of the hammock. Link caught her, and set her upright, the light blush that dusted her cheeks going unnoticed by Link, and he walked outside. Lapis grabbed a bottle of water, and took a long drink, before grabbing another and shoving it in the bag she had hanging from her shoulder. She joined the Hero gem outside of the barn, and he turned to her.

" You ready?"

Lapis nodded, and spread her wings out. She gave a strong flap, and then grabbed Link by his gauntlets, and picking him up into the air. She was surprised when he wasn't as heavy as Steven was, despite being bigger than the boy. So she didn't have much trouble carrying him. Link looked over the landscape below with awe. She smiled.

" Never flown before."

Link smiled." Not volunarily."

Deciding not to question that little tidbit of information, Lapis continued.

" It's beautiful."

Link nodded." It's always good to get a new perspective on things you may already know."

It was a simple notion, but one that struck Lapis to her very core. She rememebered being trapped in the mirror that Homeworld had put her in, and then not being found until years later, only to be stored away again, and be freed by Steven years later. She frowned a little. Her gem class wasn't made for fighting, yet the worse part of her life was caused due to the fact that she had been caught in the cross-fire of some war she shouldn't have even been present for. She frowned. She used to be bitter towards Rose Quartz. If it weren't her fault, she would've never gotten into this mess in the first place. But, then again, Steven showed her a whole new perspective. How he had shown her that maybe the Earth wasn't such a bad place, and she gave it a chance, for him. Then there was Link. Link was a sort of enigma in Lapis' life. She had only met the odd hybrid recently, but there was a connection between the two. He had certainly interacted with her more positively than the other gems, and they had shared a few good moments together. Lapis blushed a little, looking at the green gem that she was carrying.

' _I wonder.'_ She thought to herself.' _What is it that he's thinking about right now?'_

Link may have been in awe and smiling about the scenery on the outside, but inside him, his head was all jumbled up with possibilities and scenarios. The closer they neared their destination, the more that foreboding feeling he felt got stronger. Looked forward for a moment, trying to squint his eyes, before seeing a landmass.

" I think that's it. Come on, let's see if we can find them."

Lapis nodded, and began to descend.

 **AAAAAAAAAAND THAT'S A WRAP! Now, I know it was a little weak at the end right there, and I know it's been a while since I updated, but I'm tired. I hope you all enjoyed it, if you did leave a follow, or favorite, or both if you're feeling frisky. Remember to review, each one is super important to me. As always, I'll...**

 **See You On The Flip-Side~Nick Write**


	21. Korea

**GOOD EVENING EVERYONE! Nick Write here bringing you the 21st chapter of The Gem of Time! Yeah, I know it's been a few weeks, but I've been kind of busy. So don't worry about it, I'm back, and we should be on schedule if I don't decide to be lazy, which I can't make any promises if I am. At least I update more than my girlfriend. AHEM. Anyways, that's besides the point. I hope all of you enjoy the chapter. READ ON!**

When Link's feet touched the ground, his triforce immediately began to glow brightly. He frowned, and Lapis landed beside him.

" It's a good thing I didn't bring Minerva. I had a feeling it was him."

Lapis looked up to him, a worried look on her face." You don't mean."

Link nodded." Gannondorf's back, and I have reason to believe that Steven is heading right towards him."

Lapis began to internally panic. They had to save him! Link placed his hand on her should, and gave her a small, reassuring grin. When she visibly calmed down, Link internally sighed. He was worried as well, but they couldn't let it get to him. He smiled at his glowing hand.

" It's pretty convenient that I have a built in Triforce tracker. Otherwise, this probably wouldn't be good."

Lapis nodded." Yeah. Now, let's hurry, we have to get Steven."

Link nodded in agreement, but when Lapis tried to fly, her wings fizzled out, and she collapsed onto the ground. She was breathing heavily, a confused look on her face. Link knelt down beside her.

" Woah, are you okay?"

Lapis looked up groggily." This..has never happened. I've flown much farther distances and been fine. What's going on?"

Link stood up, and closed his eyes. The wind gently blew through the air, and suddenly it stopped. Link opened his eyes, a clear frown on his face.

" There's a slight interference in the air. Not dissimilar to a gem disableizer. Gannondorf most likely has something set up with the diamonds."

Lapis ran a hand through her hair. This was bad. How were they going to get to him quickly now? She attempted to stand, but her legs wouldn't work. Link steadied her, and picked her up gently, holding her across his shoulders. She limply hung there, feeling terribly useless.

" I'm sorry."

Link grinned." Don't worry about it. You're as light as a feather. Right now, just try to recover, and I'm going to find some way to get to where we need to be."

Lapis nodded, and Link began to walk.

Steven and his father admired the big city. They had just finished sightseeing, and the appeal of the city had yet to wear off. But now, they had buisiness to attend to. Steven had asked one of the locals about the location, and luckily, they had given them directions. Even more lucky, their destination was on a mountain close to the city. Of course, afterwards the man they had asked looked like he was about to attened their funerals. But that didn't deter Steven any. Greg a little, but not Steven. He needed to know. So they set off. On the way, Greg looked to his son.

" Steven, are you sure it was a great idea to come here alone?"

Steven grinned towards his dad." I didn't come here alone. I've got you here, yeah?"

Greg gave his son a nervous look." Now, you know what I meant. Why not get Link or one of the others to come with us."

Steven gave his dad a pleading look." This is something I needed to do Dad. Please, just give this to me."

Greg sighed. _' Why do I have to be such a pushover in times like this.'_ " Okay Steven. But remember, if we encounter something dangerous, we run."

Steven nodded." Of course."

The two walked in silence the rest of the way, Greg silently worrying about his son, and Steven himself wondering just what could be waiting for him at the palinquin. Soon, the two had reached their destination. The towering palinquin was covered in old vines and flowers, similarly to how he saw it in Buddy's Journal, as well as his dream. Both he and his father snuck over, hiding in a bush, and looking over. There was a tall blue figure in a hood, silently sobbing, a light blue pearl standing at her side, and a tall, but not nearly as tall as the hooded figure, man with green skin and firery orange hair. He was set on one knee.

" Yes, O Radiant Blue Diamond. To loose a loved one so close is tru-"

" Allow me to grieve in peace, demon. Go make sure the electro-magnetic dome is fully functioning. If what you said about Crystal Gems coming here, I want them defenseless, so I can crush them with my own hands. For what they did to Pink."

Steven's heart skipped a beat at the mention of the Crystal Gems. The man looked slightly irritated, but rose, and bowed nontheless.

" Of course. I'll return shortly."

Blue Diamond didn't say a word, and the man left in the other direction. Steven's own eyes began to pour tears, as the hulking diamond sobbed as well. Startled, Greg backed into a bush, and made a rustling noise. They both froze on the spot, as Blue Diamond's calm and chilling voice rang out.

" Pearl. Did you hear that?"

The pearl nodded." Yes, My Diamond. Do you wish for me to investigate?"

Blue Diamond nodded, and Blue Pearl walked over, but before she could reach the two of them, Greg panicked, and rose from the bush. Through gritted teeth, Steven asked him what he was doing. Greg simply held a hand up to him, and winked. He turned back to the gems.

" Yo."

Blue Pearl looked back to her Diamond." It's a native."

Blue Diamond sighed, her cautious attitude immediately changing back to melancholy." It's amazing how such a puny and soft creature can survive in the conditions of the planet. Live where even a Diamond couldn't. Pitiful, isn't it? This was her planet, you know. Her only colony. And it got her killed."

Greg frowned. It was a complete 180 from what she had said about the gems. He held a sort of understanding though. She was mourning the death of a loved one. Greg walked over, and looked at the decrepit palinquin.

" I get it you know."

Blue Diamond turned and gave Greg a questioning look, and the human continued.

" What it's like to loose a loved one? You don't want to forget, and you shouldn't. But you also shouldn't dwell. It's not what they would want. I know from experience."

Blue Diamond's eyes widened in surprise, before returning to the melancholy state they were in before. She turned back to the palinquin.

" It's amazing. How this puny creature can understand the feelings of a diamond. Even to give advice. I can see why she was so interested in you."

Greg didn't really appreciate being called a "puny creature," but he didn't say anything, mostly in fear of angering her, and being crushed. So, Blue Diamond continued. She leaned down to Greg, moving her cowl out of her face in order to look at him better.

" You don't even know that soon you'll be destroyed. Perhaps I can preserve one last peice of her legacy."

She suddenly wrapped her long, slender fingers around Greg's torso. He let out yelp, and Steven jumped from behind the bush.

" DAD!"

All three of them turned to the boy, surprised, but Greg looked scared.

" Steven! Get out of here!"

Steven ignored him, and pointed towards Blue Diamond.

" Give my dad back!"

Blue Diamond seemed surprised." Another native?"

Suddenly a bright ball of energy came from out of nowhere, flying right at Steven. On instinct, he brought his shield out, disapating the attack.

" No." A voice said." He's a Crystal Gem."

Steven spun around, and noticed the man from before, a maliscious grin on his face. His eyes, a dull yellow. Steven's heart jumped at the sight of his eyes. A man with evil eyes. The man seemed to notice this, and grinned wider.

" Why, is the mighty Rose Quartz scared?"

Blue Diamond's eyes widened at this mention, and she whirled to face the man.

" What are you saying demon? I'll have you crushed."

The man held his hands up." I don't jest. The sight before you is the oh so Mighty Rose Quartz. Just look at the shield."

Blue Diamond looked at the shield, and Steven willed it to disappear, still in fear. The enormous gem frowned.

" That is the very shield that Rose Quartz wielded. But why is she in this form?"

Greg squirmed in Blue Diamond's hand." He's not Rose! He's my son!"

The man grinned." Show us the gem, boy. Unless you want the old man to go early?"

Steven looked at his dad, and slowly pulled up his shirt, revealing the pink gem embedded in his belly button. Blue Diamond cringed in disgust.

" Pearl, seiz him. We are to make a visit to the Zoo to drop this human off, and then we'll take Rose Quartz back to Homeworld to be put on trial."

The pearl nodded, and moved forward, but before she could grab the boy, she stopped in her tracks. Steven looked at her confused, before lookeing up to her face. Her hair was gently parted, revealing an arrow sticking straight out of her eye. Steven resisted the urge not to puke, and the gem poofed. Steven voluntarily grabbed the gem, and bubbled it, sending it to the temple. The arrow fell harmlessly to the ground, and Steven looked in the direction of where it was shot. Link hopped out of his cover, Master Sword in hand, as well as his shield, and Lapis flew over to the boy. She picked him up, and began to carry him away. Blue Diamond raised her arm, and her ship revealed itself. She got in her palinquin, which hadn't been far away, and rose into it, taking Greg with her. Steven pointed and shouted.

" Lapis! My dad!"

Lapis turned, and attempted to fly after them, but was blocked by a large man. He landed a strong blow on her back, and there was a sickening crack heard. Her wings fizzled out, and they plummeted to the ground.

 **Minutes earlier with Link**

Link ran at Gannondorf, catching the Demon King off guard, and gave him a strong slash with the Master Sword in hand. He hissed in pain, and looked at the Hero of Time.

" I don't have time for you right now Hero. Begone!"

He sent a powerful magic blast at Link, but Link remembered his previous fight with him, and knocked it back. It hit Gannondorf, but he did not go down. Steven yelled out to his dad, and the Evil King grinned. Leaving Link behind, he flew up, and punched Lapis directly onto her gem. Her wings fizzled out, and she and Steven began a free fall towards the ground. Link leapt out, and grabbed Lapis, preventing her from hitting the ground, and Steven controlled his decent, and floated gently down, landing a few seconds after Link caught Lapis. He had a panicked look on his face.

" They got Dad, and Lapis is hurt really bad! What are we going to do?!"

Link grabbed him by the shoulders." Hey! Don't you have healing powers!? Help me out real quick. I'm not sure if my magic alone is strong enough to restore this much damage."

Steven shook himself out of the panic, and licked his hand, slapping the healing saliva directly onto Lapis' gem, while Link whispered over it. Soon, the crack that had covered the entire gem, was now only a small little nick. Steven breathed on her gem, and rubbed it off, giving the blue gem a brilliant shine. Lapis grogglily rose.

" Did we get him."

Link frowned." No, unfortunatlely. And they got away with Greg."

Lapis ran a hand through her hair." What are we going to do? Gannondorf knows where we are now, and they have Greg."

Link stared at the Master Sword." Gannondorf always knew where we were. As for Greg, we're going to the gems."

Lapis would've had a heart attack if she had her own physical heart." You mean a man that dangerous just knew where we were?!"

Steven gave Lapis a curious look." I thought you weren't sure."

Lapis looked down to Steven." Link told me stories, and the man was smart enough to bring an electromagnetic amplifier. He could kill us all."

Steven's eyes widened. The man hadn't seemed that menacing at all. Just like a suck up. Link habbed the Master Sword into the ground.

" But he won't. I won't let him."

He looked at Steven and Lapis.

" We're going back to the Temple, and we're getting the rest of the gems."

Steven rose an eyebrow." And then?"

Link grinned." And then we get your dad back."

 **AAAAAAAAAAAAAND THAT'S A WRAP FOLKS! Whoo, I was not expecting to finish this tonight. So technically, I'm early! Of course, I'm posting this tomorrow on Monday, but this gives me a few extra days to hopefully pump out the fourth chapter of Hero of the New Age, and then finally continue on with Great Fairy Tail. So this is exciting. Well, like I said before, I hope you enjoyed. Leave a review, they're always welcome, and follow the story if you're interested in what comes next! And as always...**

 **See You On The Flip-Side~Nick Write**


	22. Space Time

**HELLO EVERYONE! Nick Write here, bringing you the 22nd chapter of The Gem of Time. Ho, we are in deep, aren't we. Well, there's no stopping us now! Unless you know. I miss another two weeks of updating because I'm playing Fire Emblem. Anyways, that's not important. All that matters is that I'm here now, and we're about to do some reading. Or story telling in my case. Eh, it's whatever. READ ON!**

" YOU WHAT!?"

Link winced at the sudden yell that came from the pearl that had just showed up on the warp pad. He rubbed his ears, and looked at her.

" We went to Korea. Blue Diamond was there. So was Ganondorf. We fought. They got Greg. Now, are you going to help us get to space, or not?"

Pearl run a hand through her hair. " There was a DIAMOND on EARTH?!"

Steven turned to Pearl. "She was mourning Pink Diamond. Then Dad tried talking to her, and she took him. What are they going to do to him?" He gasped suddenly. "They aren't going to eat him, right."

Minerva briefly thought back to the fact that most gems don't like to eat, but she kept to herself, as Garnet spoke up first anyway.

"No Steven, they aren't going to eat him. However, I'm not too sure as to where they'll bring him either."

Pearl suddenly stopped pacing the room, and looked up.

"I remember there being a Human Zoo that Pink Diamond used to have...maybe they brought him there?"

Garnet hummed. "At this point, it's our best bet."

Link raised an eyebrow. "How are we supposed to get into space?"

Lapis spoke up. "The rubys' ship is still at the barn. We could get Peridot to rig it up, and we can take it."

Steven turned to the water gem. "Lapis you're a genius!"

Lapis smiled, and ruffled Steven's hair. Pearl nodded.

" That is a great idea. But who is going to go?"

Link stood up." Well, I for one definitely think that I should go. I mean, I didn't stop the kid from going."

Lapis looked over. "I'm going as well."

With no further elaboration, Steven raised his hand. "I've got to get my dad back."

Pearl nodded. "I'll accompany you all. Garnet?"

The tall gem shook her head. "I've got something to attend to. I'm bringing Amethyst as well."

Said gem snorted from her position asleep on the couch. Link looked over to Lapis.

"Do you think Peridot will pilot the ship for us?"

Lapis shrugged. "No clue, that's up to Peridot."

Link nodded, and Steven jumped up from his seat.

"Well come on! We need to get to my dad as soon as possible."

Pearl nodded. "Yes, but we also need to formulate a plan."

They were quiet for a moment, before Steven grinned.

" Oh, I can be the human you bring to the Human Zoo! Uh. Although, I can't think of anything else for anyone else."

Link grinned." How about a high class Lapis Lazuli, her Pearl, and her Jade bodyguard are bringing in a few specimens for the Zoo, under order from a Sapphire in Blue Diamond's court."

Everyone stared at Link for a moment, before Lapis spoke up. "Did you come up with that on the spot?"

Link shrugged. "Well it's kind of an obvious plan. And if Peridot comes, we can say that she's our pilot that lost her limb enhancers in an accident while repairing the ship. Perhaps we could even get her some new ones?"

Pearl gave Link a stare." How are you so good at this."

Link chuckled. "5000 years trapped in your own body can give you a lot of time to strategize for made up scenarios. Especially when your partner is a warrior alien, and you are a strategic warrior yourself. 5000 years will also give you such a crick in the neck."

Minerva frowned. "Boo. That was forced."

Pearl nodded. "I suppose that could work. It's been a long time since I've been a standard Pearl. And how are you going to pass as a Jade?"

Link grinned." I'm not."

Jade spun out from the gem, and turned into her full form. Pearl seemed impressed, Lapis was surprised by the sudden appearance, and Steven grinned. Jade popped her neck.

"Alrighty people, we've got work to do. Also, we've got to do it fast, because this form costs Link a lot of energy."

Link nodded. "I come back fast though, so we'll be fine."

They nodded, and walked over to the warp pad. Steven stuck his arms out, activating the gem tech, and the four of them ascended. In a bright flash of light, they arrived at the farm, and saw Peridot napping on top of a tractor, straw hat covering her eyes, and a stalk of grass hanging from her mouth. Minerva rose and eyebrow.

" That's kind of stereotypical."

The group of gems all walked over to the sleeping green bean, and Lapis pushed her off the seat of the tractor. She woke suddenly, and flailed her arms uselessly as she tried to catch herself. Afterwards, she rose from the ground, and dusted herself off, looking at Lapis in confusion.

" Hey! What was that for?"

Lapis shrugged, and Link stepped forward." We need your help to get us to the Diamond's Human Zoo. I've heard that the Ruby's ship was here to use."

Peridot gave Link an odd look." Didn't you sleep through what happened to the rubies both times?"

Link shrugged." I sleep through a lot of important to semi-important plot points. But that's not important. All I want to know is if you can drive a space ship."

Peridot nodded." Yes."

Link clapped." Great, let's go."

The short green gem held her hands up." Woah woah woah. Go where?"

Steven explained the situation, and Peridot stared at them.

" We're just going to waltz up to space, get Greg and leave?"

Link shrugged." That's the short version."

Peridot shrugged." Well I guess I've got nothing better to do."

Link clapped her on the back." Great, that's the spirit!"

Peridot brought them over to where the ship was stationed, and opened the pod door.

" Now, there are a lot of settings to adjust to our specifications. Uh, it'll take me a couple of minutes. Just sit tight."

Link sat on the ground, and Lapis sat beside him. He looked over to her, and noticed that she looked conflicted about going.

" What's wrong."

At the words, she jumped, but composed herself quickly after. Her frown deepend, and she let out a sigh.

" I'm conflicted. I want to help, I really do, but I don't want to get caught up in another war. I wasn't even supposed to be in the first one!"

Link frowned, and sighed." I know what you mean. When I started my journey, I was only 11 years old. I know age doesn't mean that much to gems. But to Hylians, or Humans or whatever, I hadn't even finished growing. I was thrust into a world I had no idea about, and I had to save it. I thought I was helping, but by interfeering and opening the Door of Time and pulling out the Master Sword, I inadvertantly caused the destruction of my country. When I woke up from my seven year nap and found everything I knew in ruins, you can bet that I felt terrible. So I strived to fix it. That's how it has to be this time Lapis. This time we have to fight so the Diamonds don't have a chance to destroy the planet. I don't want to see it. Not again."

Lapis frowned, and sighed." I don't know. I mean, I'm not made for fighting. Even though you aren't a gem, you were predestined to fight, from what I understand."

Link nodded." You're right."

Lapis' frown deepend." So what can I do?"

Link smiled a small smile." Well, this might not mean a lot coming from me, but. You have to have courage."

He tapped his left hand, and got up, walking over to Peridot at the control panel. Said short green gem was typing away at the surface of it, with several lights blinking on and off, and beeps and boops all over the place. Needless to say, Link was lost. He tapped her on the shoulder.

" Hey, uh. Is it going well?"

Peridot didn't glance up from the screen." Hmm? Oh, yes. I'm almost finished inputting the last of the information. Here, just let me...and...done. Now we begin hyperspace travel."

Link rose an eyebrow." Hyperspace what?"

The ship took off faster than should be possible, and all the gems disappeared. Link was slammed against the back wall, and Steven wasn't far behind him. He struggled, and looked over to where the younger human was. Steven did the same.

" Link...what's...going on?" He grunted as he tried to get the words out.

Link was also struggling." I...don't know kid. I think...ugh...Peridot said...something about...hyperspace travel."

Steven tried to adjust his face and raise an eyebrow in confusion, but wasn't able to due to the high speed." Does that mean...we're travelling...at light speed?"

Link had no idea what he meant." I...have no...idea what you...mean."

Steven attempted a sigh, but couldn't." Maybe...that's why...the gems aren't here. We must be travelling faster than the speed of light. They're behind us, and their gems stayed here."

Link seemed impressed." You...got that sentence...out really...well."

Steven shook his head, albeit slowly." That's...all you gathered...from that?"

Suddenly the ship came to a speeding halt, and everyone was flung forward, including the gems. Lapis groaned.

" Ugh. That was weird."

Peridot nodded." Well, hyperspace travel has its cons. It's not as bad as multidimension travelling though."

Link still didn't have a clue what Peridot was talking about. Pearl shakily rubbed her head.

" That wasn't a very...pleasant experience."

Link nodded." Yeah it was pretty uncomfortable. We're organic, so we just hung out in the ship and was almost flattened by the pressure."

Peridot nodded." Yes, that is correct, and expected. But look."

The short green gem pointed to the front of the ship. " We're here."

Everyone looked at the front window, taking in the entire base in its glory.

" It's huge!"

Pearl nodded." And this is one of the smaller outposts from the war. The sheer magnitude of the outposts closer to Earth and Homeworld would boggle your mind!"

Link clapped." Alrighty then folks! Let's get ready!"

Jade began to glow, and she emerged from her gem in a brilliant flash of green light, and took her full form. She grinned." Man, it's been a while."

Link nodded." It has."

The Hero of Time looked over to Lapis." You ready."

She looked at him, and gave him a small smile." Yeah."

Link grinned and looked forward to the Zoo.

" Then let's do this."

 **AAAAAAAAAAAND THAT'S A WRAP! Jeez guys, I'm really sorry that I've been gone so long! But trust me, now is the time to get back into the swing of things. I'm in a hotel room in Lafayette for YEC for the next couple of days, so I need something to do in my free time anyway. At least it gives everyone something to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, so...Anyway, that's besides the point. I hoped you all enjoyed the chapter, and if you want to see what happens next, leave a follow ( if you haven't already) and please please PLEASE review! They are what keeps me going! So I'll see you all next time, so until then...**

 **See You On The Flip-Side~Nick Write**


	23. The Zoo

**HELLO EVERYONE! Nicholas Friar here, bringing you the 23rd chapter of The Gem of Time. Look, I know I said this would be out yesterday, but my computer is what you would call a peice of shit. It doesn't hold a charge, and I have to keep ot plugged in or it shuta down. And keeping it plugged in is a complete different story. It's like trying to make both of your headphones work after one goes out. So I'm on my phone right now, and for the foreseeable future. It kinda sucks, and there will be tons of typos, but it's just going to have to be par of the course. So without further ado, READ ON!**

The small gem crew slowly floated into the docking bay of the zoo. Link and Steven were properly restrained, and Jade had adopted the look of a well trained soldier. Lapis gulped nervously, Link giving her a small nod in reassurance. She steeled herself, and gently dusted her dress off. Peridot turned to them, and nodded.

"We're landing."

Link returned the nod with one of his own, and looked to the rest of the group. "Alright guys, this is it. You four will create a distraction, while me and Steven get Greg out. Understood?"

There was a unanimous nod through the other five gems. Jade grabbed Steven and Link by their restriants, and led them out the bay door as it opened up. The docking are was about the size of a football field, with a door at the far end of the entrance that had two amethysts guarding it. They made their way over to them, and the first amethyst stepped forward.

"State your business."

The other amethyst giggled at the first guards tone. Lapis stepped forward.

"We're here with...humans for...Blue Diamond?" Even though it came out as more of a question, the amethyst let them pass. Either she didnt notice or didn't care. As they made their way through the door, a voice stopped them in their tracks.

"What do you think you're doing?"

They all turned towards the voice, and saw a gem taller than both amethysts, a deep shade of blue, and a much more disciplined look. She glared at the amethysts.

"Who're they?!"

The first amethyst shakily looked over to them. "They brought humans for the Zoo."

The gem looked over to them, eyes widnening when she noticed Lapis. She walked over briskly, and did a curt bow to her. "Hello there, I'm terribly sorry for their behavior. I'll guide you to the place where we drop the humans." She grimaced at the mentioning of them. "Such unsightly creatures. Come now."

They walked forward, and reached a door. The gem gave a glance over to Pearl expectantly. After a few moments, she cleared her throat. "Pearl, aren't you going to open the door?"

Pearl was surprised, but tried to hide it, as she went over and opened the door for them. The blue gem looked towards Lapis.

"We can get you a new pearl. This one seems to be a little on the slow side."

Pearl was silently fuming, but Lapis waver her hand. "No no, that won't be necessary. She's just a little forgetful."

The gem nodded. "How very generous of you."

They walked around the base, and the tall gem, who Jade told Link was a Holly Blue Agate, listed all the areas of the zoo. Finally they arrived to the drop off area for the humans, and Link and Steven were sent in. Steven went in first, and was stripped of bis clothes, and had some earrings clipped onto his ears. Link, meanwhile, fought the machinary, and came out of the water with the outfit tightly wrapped over his tunic, and severaly earrings clipped in various places on his body. He seemed extremely uncomfortable. Steven tried his best not to laugh, and Link excused himself. Meanwhile, Stefen turned and hugged Greg Universe, who's hair was now put up into a long braid.

"Dad, I'm so glad you're okay!"

Greg chuckled, and hugged his son back. "I'm glad to see you stuball. Surpringly, it's not that bad in here."

"Really? I would've guessed otherwise."

They turned around, seeing Link unclipping the last of the earrings from his hair, and throwing it into the water, he gave a breath of relief.

"Thank Farore. That's so much better."

Greg nodded. "You're Link right? I remember seeing you when I took you all to the barn."

Link nodded. "Yeah. Who, that was a while ago wasn't it? We haven't had much of a break since then huh?"

Steven nodded. "Yeah."

They all shared a laugh, and more people came to the beach. The first of which was a mischievous looking man with curly brown hair, and short, but sharp ears.

"Hello Gareg! Are these more new ones?"

Greg nodded, ignoring the butchering of his name. "Yeah. This is my son Steven, and Link, a friend of his."

Steven gave a smile, while Link was staring at their ears. "I don't think these guys are just human. Those ears..."

They looked to Link. "Our ears? What about-"

They stopped talking once they saw Link's own ears. The first man gasped, before jumping in the air, a huge smile on his face.

"It's him! It's him! The Hero of Time!"

A cheer broke loose, and Steven looked surprised, while Greg looked confused.

"Wait, what do you mean?"

Link ran a hand through his hair, and let out a loud laugh. "Of course! Here I am, thinking my entire race was dead! Of course they'd take prisoners!"

Steven was confused now to. "What do you mean?"

Link grinned. "We have to break them all out."

Steven frowned. "That might be a little difficult..."

The green clad gem seemingly came to his senses, and grimaced. "I've got to do something. These are my people Steven. The last of the Hylian race. Those ears are proof enough. They might not be as long as a full blooded hylian, but I know my people when I see them. Those crystal blue eyes as well. Every one of them has the eyes."

Steven nods. "I see it Link, but I don't think we have the room on the ship, and even if we did, how would we sneak a small army of people onto it with this place crawling with homeworld gems."

Link nodded. "I know." He sighed. "Alright kid, that's enough of that pity party. Let's get you and your dad out of here."

Steven nodded. "Alright."

Once the cheering for Link had died down, the group began going through the daily routine of the Hylian/Human hybrids. Steven and his father reunited happily, and Link volunteered to search for an exit. The zoo area was much larger than he expected, seemingly spanning several acres. Of course, this didn't keep Link from finding the huge metal door hidden by a few leaves. Unfortunately, the door was only able to be opened from the outside. He growled in annoyance, punching the door with all his might, and even trying to lift it open with his Golden Gauntlets. The door didn't budge. He sighed, and went back to find Steven and Greg. They were all eating a strange purple fruit, and seemingly enjoying. Link decided that he wasn't risking the alien food, even if the Humians had been eating it for forever. When Steven saw him, he got down to business.

"Did you find anything?"

Link nodded. "Yeah, there's a huge entrance southwest of here, but it looks like it can only be open from the outside."

Steven frowned. "That's unfortunate. That means we'll just have to get it opened from the outside then...but how?"

Their brainstorming was inturuppted when one of the humians grabbed Link by the arm, and dragged him over to a big rock, with several engravings on it. He knelt down to get a closer look, and noticed that it was all in Hylian. It told of his story, with several hopefull messages that he would one day return to them, and free them all. He stood tall and looked at all the hopeful humians, and sighed.

"I will free you all. You deserve to be uncaged, even if this is the nicest cage I've ever seen." The humans seemed confused, but happy. He sighed. "However, before I can free all of you, I have to help Greg and Steven escape and get help."

The first humian that had greeted them stepped forward. With a blissful smile on his face. "We have no idea what you mean by escape, but if we can help the Hero of Time, we'd be happy!"

The rest of the humians began to chant 'happy,' and Link sighed. They had no idea what he was talking about, but were willing to help regardless. Maybe the confinement had taught them generosity. Without influence from the real world, they were all like children. It was a blissful ignorance, and Link knew why they didn't have a care. They didn't know what cares were. It was that simple. He turned to Steven and Greg, who simply shrugged. He calmed them all down, and began to speak again.

"There's a huge metal door that we need to open. Do you know what I'm talking about?"

The humians gave him a confused look. "What's a door."

Link frowned. This was going to be more difficult than he previously thought. He tried again.

"Big gray sliding wall?"

That seemed to trigger something, as the humians all 'ohed' in recognition. One human smiled. "I know how to get the gray wall to slide! One time I fell, and my leg rubbed across a rock, and red water came out. It felt very not good, and amethyst helped!"

Link grinned, a plan formulating in his head. "Sounds like a plan."

He walked over to Steven and Greg. "I assume we have to draw blood. Here."

He handed Steven an especially sharp rock, and pointed to his arm.

"Give me a good one kid. Right across the top right there."

Steven seemed extremely hesitant to cut Link, so the green clad gem grabbed the rock, and cut horizontally over his forearm. Afterwards, he let out a dramatic wail of pain, and the door opened up. Several amethyst guards came in, looking for the problem, and Steven, Greg, and Link snuck out the door. Hands grabbed them, and they were drug into the quarters of the amethysts. Jade stood there with a huge grin on her face, surprising Steven and Link. Steven spoke first.

"Jade, you're hear? How?"

Link nodded in agreement. "And what of the others?"

Jade nodded. "They're across the hall. Turns out jades liks me haven't been made in a while, and they've never seen one. They were glad to help out."

Said amethysts grinned and waved towards the humans. Link grinned. "Great, now we can get the others, and get put of here."

Jade turned serious. "There's a problem with that. Both Yellow and Blue Diamond are here. Holly Blue wants Lapis to audience with them, but I'm not sure that Lapis can handle seeing seeing Blue Diamond again, and she might give us away."

Link frowned. "We need to leave as soon as possible. If we don-"

They were interrupted by the quarters door opening up. Link, Steven, and Greg hid behind the amethysts, and a tall figure walked through the door. Link couldn't see him, but he could feel who it was, and he knew he could feel Link as well. Gannondorf stood over the amethysts, and grinned maliciously.

"What obedient soldiers. Surely you wouldn't betray your lustrous diamonds. Of course not."

He looked directly at Jade, who gave him a steely gaze, not letting an ounce of emotion show on her face. His grin never dropped, and he left the room. Everyone gave a collective sigh of relief, and Link grimaced.

"He knows I'm here. We have to get out of here. We can't beat him without Minerva, and it's bad timing, fighting him on his own turf."

Jade nodded. "If he reports this to the diamonds then..."

Link shook his head. "He won't report us. If he does try to engage us, he'll do it discreetly. We don't have Minerva, and he knows he can't beat me. Of course, he also knows I can't beat him either. It's an even match without Minerva as our tie breaker. Without the Triforce of Wisdom."

Jade nodded, and the click of Holly Blue's heels came by, and she peeked in to scold the slacking amethysts. Once her head was gone, the group of four decided to move out. Lapis caught them out the corner of her eye, sneaking around them and back towards the docking area. She turned towards Holly Blue.

"The tour has been great, but I really think we should be leaving!"

Holly Blue stopped her lecture, and gave Lapis a strange look. "Don't you want to report back to Blue Diamond? A mission successful?"

Lapis laughed nervously. Ahaha, I'm quite okay, I've got a lot of work waiting for me back on Homeworld, so I'd better just-"

She went to turn around, but Holly Blue turned her around, and gave her a welcoming but confused smile. "Nonsense! Come, it won't take long."

As she was dragged away by Holly Blue Agate, but neither Pearl nor Peridot knew what to do to help. So with one final look of betrayal, Lapis was throne into the room Yellow and Blue Diamond was in. Holly Blue seemed surprised at the sight of Yellow Diamond. Lapis meanwhile froze in place. So when Blue Diamond asked their business, and Holy told her what their "mission" was, Blue Diamond was a little confused.

"I never asked for any humans."

Holly Blue looked like someone just told her her gem was cracked. She gave a questioning glance to Lapis who tried to think of an excuse on the spot.

"Well there was a sapphire I work with, who foresaw that Blue Diamonds would want some humans for the zoo, but unfortunately she couldn't make the trip, so I did it...my Diamond." She added that to the end to hopefully lower the chance of her getting smiten. Smited? Smote? Whatever. When Blue Diamond broke down and admitted to wanting more humans, Lapis felt a strong urge to praise God for her winning excuse. Holly Blue and Lapis were all but forgotten, and they left the conversation. Once they were out, Holly Blue went on about something unimportant. Lapis, meanwhile, was still freaking out. She looked at her shaking hands, and ran them through her hair. She can't believe she just did that. They arrived to the docking bay, and she slipped into the ship after saying a quick goodbye to Holly Blue. Once the door closed, she felt like she could've poofed right there. Steven gave her a hug, and everyone else gave her approving looks. Link smiled at her.

"I told you. That was pretty damned courageous if you ask me. You did great Lapis."

She smiled towards the green clad gem, and the ship took off, leaving the zoo behind, and everone had a smile on their face.

 _Somewhere else..._

 _"So hero, you've avoided me again. Or so you think you have..."_

 _Gannondorf looked down to a small object in his hand. Almost like a deep black version of a jade. He grinned maliciously. He grabbed a strand hair he had, and touched it to the gem. It absorbed it, and slowly formed into an exact copy of Link. His crimson eyes opened, and a wicked smile spread across its face._

 _"But I've still got plenty of tricks up my sleeve."_

 **AAAAAAAAAAAND THATS A WRAP! Man, typing ony phone sucks. But i do it for you guys. if this chapter is a little short, i blame my tiredness and my phone. but i still hope you enjoyed it! until next time**

 **See You On The Flip-Side~Nicholas Friar**


	24. Maybe We Can Relax for a While?

**GOOD EVENING WORLD! Tis' I, Nicholas Friar! Hey, guess who got his computer fixed! Obviously me. Be pretty weird if it wasn't me and I was mentioning it. But that's besides the point! I promised more chapters once it was fixed, so here we are! It took me a while to come up with an idea for a chapter, but I think I have it now. So don't waste your time with me here, go ahead and READ ON!**

They landed the ship next to Steven's house when they finally arrived back to Earth, and were greeted with Minerva sitting on the porch, sunglasses on, and gently sipping away at her drink in her hands. She came down when the door opened, and the four gems and Jade emerged, grinning and celebrating. She waved.

"Hey guys, great to see you're back. I assume it went well?"

Greg walked out after them, answering her question. He stretched and yawned, bidding them all a farewell as he travelled back up to his van. Link sighed, and slumped onto the couch once they went back into the house. Lapis and Peridot were still there, and Steven was explaining the journey to the Crystal Gems and Minerva. Garnet remained stoic throughout the entire story, and Amethyst kept asking questions about the amethysts there, most of which Jade answered with ease. Minerva sat down beside Link, and sipped her glass of juice, or whatever it was. She turned to him, a nuetral expression on her face.

"I had a dream last night."

Link rose one of his eyebrows. He remembered that Zelda would have prophetic dreams often, one of which predicted his own quest. "What was it about."

She frowned some. "That's the difficult part. It was really vauge, and I only remember bits and peices, but it felt important."

Link nodded. "Zelda would often have prophetic dreams in the wake of major events. It was one of the gifts of being the bearer of Wisdom, and Hylia's reincarnate."

Minerva nodded. "What I remember was being on the beach front. All of us were, bathed in a sort of aquamarine light, sometimes bits of gold and pink would shine through, and the sky was a deep black, and a yellow, a blue, and a white spot light shone through it, and then it ended."

Link's mind was already quick at work. The spot lights could be the diamonds, and in Zelda's dreams, Gannondorf was always represented by a general darkness. The hero gem frowned.

"It sounds like something to do with Gannondorf and the Diamonds."

Minerva nodded. "That's what I was thinking. It may be signifying an invasion of some sorts. Our colors though, I don't have a clue what that could be referring to."

Link nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that was somewhat confusing." He yawned. Minerva looked at him sympathetically.

"How about we talk about it more tomorrow, after training."

Link nodded. "Good idea. Wouldn't expect any less from the bearer of Wisdom."

Minerva gives the hero gem a smirk. "Have you said my first name once?"

Link shrugged. "No idea. Good night."

Almost immediately, he was out. Minerva sighed in exasperation. The guy slept like way more than normal. Maybe it had something to do with producing energy for both Jade and Himself. She'd ask one day, probably. She directed her attention back to the gems, when Garnet clapped Lapis on the back.

"You did very well out there. We're proud to have you on our side."

Lapis blushed a little, but looked like she wanted to say something. She held back though, only mumbling out a quick thank you, and letting Steven pick the story back up. Once he was done, which wasn't much more, Lapis and Peridot left for the barn, Lapis still having a conflicted face as they gave their quick farewell, and warped out of the temple. Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl told Steven good night, and quickly retreated back into the main part of the temple, and Steven got ready for bed. Soon it was silent, leaving only Minerva and her thoughts. She laid silently on the blow up matress, listening to the calm of the night, and soon enough, falling blissfully into unconsciousness.

 _The sky was dark, and foreboding storm clouds rolled across the sky, the sound of thunder crashing reverberating through the air. Minerva sat on the beach, cross legged, her white hair whipping in the wind. Footsteps sounded behind her. She turned around slowly, seeing a familiar green tunic and hat. But something was off. A pitch black gem rested in his chest, and his eyes shone a crimson red. She frowned._

 _"What do you want."_

 _The figure stayed silent, simply staring at Minerva, his expression nuetral and unreadable. An eerie feeling washed across the teenage girl, and she shivered involuntarily. The Link clone stayed unreadable, and drew his sword from the black pit of a gem on his chest. It was a replica of the Master Sword, but it was solid black, and was coated with shadows, almost as if it was absorbing the light around it. Minerva stood, and the copy rushed forward._

Minerva awoke with a start, and the remnants of her dream began to fade away almost as quickly as it had happened. She cursed to herself. She should really invest in a dream journal or something, so she could keep track of these prophetic dreams. She rolled out of the flattened air mattress, and looked out the window, seeing the sun just barely peeking out about the horizon. She sighed in annoyance, and put the air mattress away, grabbing one of the juices out of Steven's refridgerator, and sipping on it absentmindedly. As she tried to recall the events of her dream, Steven rose from bed, and began to mull about as well, giving Minerva a drowsy 'Good Morning,' as he passed her by. The morning was mostly uneventful, Steven cooked breakfast as usual, and the two chatted while Steven drank coffee, and Minerva sipped on her juice. Link had woken up at some point, and was silently drinking a bottle of milk, once he finished it, he looked over to Steven.

"When will Connie be joining us?"

Steven pulled out his phone. "She texted not long ago. She said she'll be around by noon at the latest."

Link nodded in satisfaction, and they sat in silence once more. Minerva was begining to fidget, and the warp pad flared to life, revealing Lapis and Peridot. The teen girl silently thanked God for the sudden change, and greeted them.

"Hey you guys!"

Peridot grinned, and waved. "Hello Minerva!"

Lapis gave a small smile. "Hey."

The blue gem looked over to Link. "Are we starting soon?"

Link nodded. "As soon as Connie shows up."

Almost as if she was qued, the younger girl bust through the door panting, a grin on her face.

"My mom said I could come early! Let's get this show on the road!"

Link nodded, and stood up, and they all boarded the warp pad, being a little crowded with all six of them standing on it. They arrived at the arena shortly, as was usual with warp pads. They all took their positions, and began to warm up as they had in the previous practice. It had been a few days, so they were a little rusty, but they quickly grew used to it once more. They finished, and began their meditation, Link staying conscious this time as everyone retreated into their mindscapes once again. They had had four or five more practices since the first one, yet they hadn't been able to open their doors. When everyone but Lapis had retreated in, he gave a her a strange look. He had noticed that she was seemingly distant and quiet during the training, but didn't confront her about it. However, noticing that she was staring off into the distance instead of meditation, Link was a little concerned. He snapped his fingers in front of Lapis' eyes. She jumped, and blinked rapidly in confusion.

"Huh? Oh, Link. It's you."

Link frowned some. "What's up."

She gave him a confused look. "What do you mean."

He sat down beside her. "I mean you've been really quiet and reserved this entire time, more than usual at least. I want to know what's on your mind."

She frowned. "It's...I don't know if I can go through with this."

Link gave her a confused look. "What do you mean?"

Lapis looked away. "I mean I don't think I can handle another war with the diamonds. Even last night, I contemplated running away without a word. I held off though, because for as much as I want to leave, this place has given me more than I could've ever had on homeworld."

The green clad gem nodded. "I won't lie to you Lapis. You're a very important component in our machine. I can't make you fight though. It's something that you have to want to do yourself."

Lapis nodded. "I know. But the last gem war, I was trapped and left behind by my own people, and even when the Crystal Gems found me, they did nothing to free me, despite knowing I was still in there. I've tried to forgive them, but I still hold a grudge for that." Her eyes began to get misty, and Link sighed.

"How about you call it a day today. Go and think about it some more, and I'll come find you once we're done here."

Lapis went to deny it, but she sighed, and nodded her head. Mumbling a quick 'thank you' to Link, the gem left the arena. The hero gem finally decided to join his traniees, and went into the meditative state. When Lapis returned to Steven's home, she went directly out of the beach, and into the water. She sat in it, letting the cooling liquid wash over her as she thought. She had made friends with Steven and Link, even Peridot, as annoying as she was, Lapis still considered her friend. She hated the thought of abandoning them, but was conflicted with the fact that she couldn't mentally handle another war. She groaned. All her thoughts ever did was contradict themselves. Footsteps echoed out behind her, and she immidiately thought that it was Link, and she turned, surprised that they had finished so early. But it wasn't.

"Hey there, water girl."

Link entered the mindscape, to see everyone hard at work at trying to figure out how to open the door. Minerva approached him.

"Can I borrow a bow or something?"

Link gave her a curious look, and grabbed his bow, and handed it to her. She pulled it back, and aimed for a certain spot on the door, and let fire, the arrow shining momentarily with a bright light, before slamming into the door, blinding everyone with the flash that occurred as a result. The door began to shift, and it slowly opened, the waft of books permeating through the air. Link looked at her, impressed and proud.

"Good job kid, you're the first to open your door. But before you go in, I have to warn you. You may not come out for a while, a few days at most usually. We'll keep watch over you if you decide to go in now, but we'll have to drag you back to the house. You can only come out of your own free will, but your body can be harmed while you are within the doors."

Minerva held up her hands. "I'll wait until we get back to the temple. I'm going to mentally prepare first. I'm exhausted."

Everyone agreed, and Link nodded. "Then I guess that concludes training for today. We'll come back tomorrow."

They nodded, and one by one left the mindscape. Steven approached Link as they were leaving.

"I didn't see Lapis. Where'd she go?"

Link shrugged. "She's been through a lot recently. I decided to let her go early so she could think for a while, maybe get some stuff off her chest."

It wasn't the whole truth, but Steven nodded anyway. They went back to the Temple, and Peridot went back to the barn. Link made good on his promise, and looked for Lapis around the temple, and then at the barn. The hero gem frowned. She wasn't anywhere to be found. Even in the barn with Peridot, who was beginning to become worried as well, because Lapis hadn't left a note or anything when she left, which she usually did. Outside of the temple, Link found something though, and he growled when he saw it. Half buried into the sand, was a piece of cloth. When he pulled it out to inspect it, he noticed the very familiar symbol of the Gerudo people. He only knew of one Gerudo that was still around. He balled the cloth up, and shoved it into his pocket.

"That thieving bastard."

 **AAAAAAAAAAAND I'M GONNA CUT IT OFF THERE! Look, I kind of hate this chapter. It took way too much effort to write, and even then the flow of it is bad, and the pacing is bad, and it's all over the place. I've had serious writers block while writing this, so it's kind of weak, because I couldn't think of what to write, so I took some advice from our friend Monika, and just kept writing. So if the chapter was a little weak for you, don't worry, I'll pick things back up in the next chapter. Until then...**

 **See You On The Flip-Side~Nicholas Friar**


	25. Yeah, no

**GOOD EVENING WORLD! Tis' I, Nicholas Friar! Golly gee wilikers, I'm a little late. Don't care though, I've just got to write this and get on with my life. Last chapter kinda sucked, so I took some time to gather my thoughts, and come back with a vengeance. Chapter Twenty Five, my children, and as we near the end, which I suspect to come in at least 10 more chapters, things are beginning to get tense. So READ ON!**

Lapis spun around, and brought her hand up, the ocean behind her raising as well. She glared at the familiar man in front of her, his wicked grin stretched across his green tinted face. He laughed.

"My, you're quite feisty. That boy knows how to pick them."

The water gem narrowed her eyes at the man. "You're Gannondorf."

The man grinned. "And you're Lapis Lazuli. While I'd love to stay here and chat it up with you, I do fear that I came here for a reason."

She took a step back, her foot sumbmerging into the water, giving her a surge of energy. "What do you want?" She growled at the Demon King.

He glanced at her placement. "I want you, actually. You're very essential to my plan."

Lapis looked up and down at the man. "And you'd attack me at my strongest? In my element."

Gannondorf laughed. "You severely underestimate me girl. However, I'm not going to attack you at all."

He threw a dark stone onto the ground, and it seemed to suck the light from around it into its core. It floated into the sky, coated in a black lightning, and emerged as a misty shadow. The figure's skin was a pale silver, and his eyes were red with a black sclera. He wore a black tunic, and had a dark sword and shield strapped to his back. Lapis froze in shock.

It was Link.

Well, more exactly, a carbon copy of Link, coated in shadows, and giving her a strong death glare. Gannondorf smirked visciously at her surprise.

"Capture her, but don't kill her. We need her alive. For now."

The copy moved forward, not saying a single word. He drew his sword in a flash, and dashed at her. Lapis, in a panicked last attempt to save herself, shot a blade of water through the air, cutting part of Gannondorf's clothes off, and leaving a cut. He didn't even wince, and watched as the Shadow Sword was plunged directly into Lapis' stomach. She felt a pang of fiery pain, and the world went white.

When the Crystal Gems that hadn't been training returned from their mission, they were immediately bombarded with questions as to where Lapis was. According to them, they had left shortly after them, and hadn't seen the water gem. Immediately after this, almost as if on que, Link bust through the doors, holding a patch of clothing.

"I know where Lapis went."

The Gems spun around, and Steven grinned, a hopeful look in his eyes. "Where!"

Link held up the cloth. "Gannondorf has her. This is the symbol of the Gerudo."

Steven's grin fell, and his eyes widened. "Then what..."

Link balled the cloth up and shoved it into his bag. He turned around. "I'm going after her. You all stay here."

Steven jumped up. "Wait! We're coming with you!"

The green clad gem turned and stomped. "No!" He snarled. Everyone jumped back in surprise. He rubbed his temples gently. "Sorry. But you aren't all getting killed because I'm about to do something really reckless and stupid."

Steven went to protest, but Garnet held her hand out. "He's right." She turned to the green clad gem, and her glasses shimmered knowingly.

"Go get her."

Link nodded, and stepped out of the door. He looked back one last time, and frowned. Steven looked back at him, a worried look on his face, but he wasn't making a move to come forward. Good. The green clad gem drew the Master Sword, and placed the cloth on it. It caught fire, and burned slowly as it was absorbed into the sword. Link grimaced. Even his clothes were evil. Jeez. The Sword hummed softly, and Link let it lead him forward. When it didn't point straight up, Link grinned.

"He's still on Earth then. Good. We have to be quick about this. Jade! Clawshot mode!"

She materialized in his hand, taking the form of what looked to be like a grappling hook. He pointed it to the cliff, and let it loose, and it carried him to the top. He pointed the sword.

"Okay, lead the way."

Lapis reformed with a gasp, and immediately she was grabbed by two people. It was pitch black, so she couldn't see her captors, but once she was locked in chains, and they let her go, footsteps echoed into wherever she was.

"Hello there, water girl."

The blue gem could almost _hear_ the shit-eating grin on his face. She growled. "You're Gannondorf."

The man barked out a laugh. "My my, she's observant. That hero really does know how to pick his friends."

Lapis' eyes widened. "What did you do?!"

The man spoke again. "Relax girly. You're the bait. None of those other extras came to any harm. Yet."

Lapis let go of a breath she didn't know she was holding, and she stayed silent. "So, you captured me so you could bring Link here, I suppose?"

"That's the gist of it essentially."

She grinned. "Link is way smarter than that. He would think of a good plan before bum rushing in."

The man chuckled. "You don't know him like I do. The kid is smart, no doubt. I should've never underestimated him. But look, his part of the triangle is Courage. He's going to come in, sword blazing, probably take out all my minions, release you, and challenge me."

Lapis was confused. "Wait. What? Are you really that arrogant? You know what he can do, but you do this anyway. What if he beats you?"

Gannondorf began to walk away. "He won't. He can't properly get rid of me without the Bearer of Wisdom. So he may fight me. But he won't win."

Lapis was at a loss for words. "Well, uh, you, won't beat him either!"

Gannondorf laughed, before shutting the door.

"Yeah, you're right."

Then Lapis was left alone with her thoughts.

She sat on the wall, fiddling with the chain that had her attached to the wall. She frowned. There was no water in here, not even really any humidity. Must be in the desert. Or something similar. There was no way to tell time, and since she was a gem, she didn't have to eat, drink, or sleep. So there was no way she would get any fluid to move, or anyway to pass the time. There was, however, plenty to think about. What was Gannondorf's game here? He knew he couldn't beat Link, and Link won't be able to beat him. So will they just stand at a stalemate for all eternity? Or does Gannondorf have something bigger planned? That was the most likely case. It's a trap then, that much was obvious. Who would be working for him? Or maybe he was working for someone? She thought back to the base, where she saw a glimpse of him. Her eyes widened in realization.

 _'The diamonds are here.'_

Steven paced the room nervously. It had been a few hours since Link left for Lapis, and he was getting worried. Of course, it wasn't going to happen immediately, and Steven was just being paranoid. Or was he? He groaned and ran a hand through his hair. Connie had left a little while ago, and the rest of the gems had went into the temple, save for Peridot, who went back to the barn. Minerva sat on the couch, sipping on a juice, and reading a book that was written in a language Steven didn't recognized. She glanced up at his panicked state.

"Sit down."

He looked at her incrediously. She simply patted the spot beside her. "Sit down, and chill out. You're going to pace a rut into the floor."

Steven blushed a little, and sat down. He looked over the book, and gave Minerva a curious look.

"What's your book about?"

She glanced at him, then back at him. "It's a book of Hylian Light Magic spells. I've been having premonitions recently. Something bad is about to go down, and it's going down soon. And it definitely has to do with Gannondorf, and the Diamonds."

Steven nodded. He knew that the King of Theives worked with the Diamonds. He involutarily shuddered at the thought of having to fight them both. Minerva glanced at him.

"Don't think like that, you might accidently foreshadow something."

He gave her a confused look, and she simply shrugged.

"Body language."

He nooded. That made sense. He sighed, and leaned back into the couch. Maybe having a short little nap wouldn't hurt.

Link stared at the large temple made out of sand that stood in front of him. Two lizalfos stood guard at the front entrance. He frowned.

' _Not even Dinalfos? Gannondorf is toying with me, isn't he?'_

He easily took care of them, and continued on. It was _dark_ in here. Even with his advanced Hylian eyesight, this hallway was severely underlit. He made a small fire with his hand, and began moving forward. He took a step, and a couple of Stalfos dropped from the ceiling. He groaned.

"This is going to be tedious."

Lapis' thoughts were interrupted by the sound of clashing getting closer slowly. That was him, wasn't it. She had to warn him! It was a trap! Get out of here! But her mouth didn't open. He had to know it was a trap. Link wasn't stupid. He probably knew what was going to happen, just like Gannondorf did. The door caved in, and Link stood there, looking no worse for the wear, eyes lighting up when they landed on the blue gem. He quickly released her, and dragged her out of the area. Weirdly enough, it was just one long hallway. Link noticed her look.

"Yeah, I know. He's got something planned. This is entirely too suspicious."

Lapis nodded. "That's what he told me."

Link nodded. "Let's get outside then, and see for ourselves."

They made their way out of the hallway, and into the soft sand of the desert. Lapis frowned. They were a long ways from Beach City. Or there was desert island nearby. Either way. Link stared forward, and as if on que, Gannondorf floated out from a hidden door. He had a wide grin on his evil green face. Link sighed.

"Okay big guy. What's your trap."

The man simply laughed. And laughed. And laughed. Then, Link noticed something on the temple. Something that made his heart seize with fear.

An insignia embedded on the temple.

The Diamond Athority insignia.

It was a ship.

Link's eyes widened. He left them there all alone! He grabbed Lapis.

"Fly! We have to go!"

She looked at him, confused. "What?"

He grabbed both of her shoulders. "The Diamonds are going to Beach City!"

Lapis' eyes widened as well. No. No no no no no no! She couldn't face the Diamonds! It was...it wasn't in her nature. She looked at Link's desperate look.

 _'That was pretty courageous of you. And I would know.'_

She steeled her gaze, and nodded. "Okay. Let's go." Her wings expanded, and she grabbed Link, who pushed his hands out.

 _ **"Farore's Gale Blast!"**_

A strong gust of wind shot out of hands, and into the other direction, giving them a good boost, and pushing away Gannondorf, who yelled out to them as they flew.

"I WIN HERO! I WIN!"

They ignored him, and focused on getting to Beach City. The gust gave them a huge boost, and they were making record time. But would it be enough? Link spoke up.

"When we get there, drop me."

She nodded, and flew as hard as she could. It was minutes, and the beach front came into view.

It was in flames.

Link growled. "Fuck! This is bad. Let go!"

She dropped him, and Link plummeted, ready to catch himself. Lapis wasn't far behind. They looked around, and a voice echoed out, sending chills up Lapis spine, and making Link growl.

"That's the hero that demon spoke of. He's pathetic."

Link launched out, sword drawn.

The final battle had begun.

 **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND THAT'S A WRAP! Ok, I may be ending this a lot quicker than previously said. It's okay though, we've still got two or three more chapters to go. So don't worry! In the meantime, feel free to go check out any of my other stories, like my Percy Jackson and Zelda crossover, Hero of the New Age, my Fairy Tail and Zelda crossover, Great Fairy Tail, or my newest story, My Hero vs the Forces of Evil, my My Hero Academia and Star vs the Forces of Evil Crossover. It's the first of its kind, and it's gotten relatively good support so far. Go check it out! Remember to leave a review to tell me what you thought, and if you want to see what's next, drop a follow. Stay frosty my friends, and as always...**

 **See You On The Flip-Side~Nicholas Friar**


	26. It Begins

**HELLO EVERYONE! Welcome to the final stretch of The Gem of Time! It is I, NIcholas Friar! Now, like I said in the last chapter, there will probably be only a few more chapters until the grand finale. So without wasting any more of your time, let's just jump into it. READ ON!**

Lapis heard a voice call to her a little ways away. She turned around, and saw a familiar curly-haired boy standing there. He had a determined look on his face.

"Lapis! I'm glad you're alright."

She nodded, and smiled. "You to. What's going on?"

He frowned, and gripped the sword in his hand a little tighter.

"It's the Diamonds. They attacked not too long ago. The Gems are over there."

They looked over to the side, and saw that the gems had formed Alexandrite, and were fighting against Blue Diamond, while Yellow Diamond and White Diamond watched. Blue Diamond seemed to be gaining the upper hand. She looked back to Steven.

"What should we do? They don't look like they're doing too hot."

Steven shook his head. "You're right. Connie is on her way, I sent Lion after her, and Peridot should be here any second."

As if on que, the short green gem came rushing out of nowhere. She approached Steven, and soon after, Connie and Lion showed up.

"Steven!"

The boy grinned, and clasped hands with the girl, and they fused into Stevonnie. The fusion looked to Lapis with a determined expression.

"Try to help anyway you can. Peridot, there's tons of metal around the beach, as well as their ships. Lapis. The ocean."

They nodded. "Got it."

Stevonnie rushed towards the gems.

Link was swinging his sword at Blue Diamond as the gems as Alexandrite fought against her. Suddenly, the ocean rose up, and grabbed her. She fought against it violently, but she couldn't break free. Lapis already looked exahsted.

"Hurry!"

Stevonnie ran at the fusion, and grabbed on, the entire thing glowing, before settling on a huge amalgamation of a fusion, that looked remarkably similar to the temple fusion. They were dazed for a moment, before grinning.

"Well isn't it convenient that that worked."

They swung a large version of Rose's Sword at Blue Diamond, who broke free of her restraints, and moved just in time. She looked a little worse for wear.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR TAKING HER AWAY!"

Link winced at the volume of her voice, and continued to fight alongside the gems. With the added strength and skill of Steven and Connie, they were fighting Blue Diamond on much more even ground. However, Yellow and White Diamond noticed this, and frowned. Yellow spoke first.

"Come now Blue. Why can't we corrupt them and be done with it?" She said, a bored tone evident in her voice.

Blue Diamond slammed a fist covered in blue magic into the huge fusion, and turned to her sister.

"Maybe if you did your job right we wouldn't have to even be here!"

Yellow glared at her sister. "Don't pin anything on me. I simply sent a group here to check on the progress of the cluster. There was no speak of Crystal Gems on this planet, until that Peridot reported in to me."

Blue frowned. "You're lying! You knew the whol-"

She was inturrupted when a rose-colored sword shoved itself through her chest, right under her gem. The fusion frowned.

"I missed." Then it frowned harder.

"No I didn't"

Blue fizzled for a second, before poofing, and the huge Blue Diamond slamming into the ground. The fuison quickly picked it up and bubbled it. Yellow Diamond gasped, and had a surprised look on her face. She frowned.

"Well. It seems that Blue Diamond was really more pathetic than we thought, right-"

White Diamond inturrupted her. "Get rid of them."

Yellow Diamond frowned, and stepped forward. Holding a hand out, a yellow energy encased it, and shot out to hit the fusion. It wobbled for a moment, before breaking free, and beginning its attack on Yellow Diamond. She seemed surprised again.

"How? That was meant to destabalize your form! It never fails!"

The fusion grinned. "We've got organic matter in here. Can't really destablize that."

Yellow Diamond frowned, before clenching her fists. "Very well. That's not my only trick."

She got into a fighting position that Link recognized from the boxing that Steven watched. She bounced back and fourth, now out of the water and on the sand. She sent a well timed right hook towards the fusion, who nimbly moved out of the way, and the two began to circle each other. Neither attacked for a minute or two, and Peridot groaned.

"This is taking too long!"

She waved her hands, and a truck came out of nowhere, slamming Yellow Diamond in the back of the head, causing her to stumble, and the large fusion to get a strong uppercut in. Yellow stepped back, still a little dazed, before growling, and zapping Peridot.

"Eep!" She poofed, and her gem fell uselessly to the ground. Lapis sighed, and bubbled her, and sent her to the barn. Link glanced over to the blue gem. Suddenly he had an idea.

"Lapis!"

She looked over. "Yeah?"

He grinned. "Pick me up with the water. I've got an idea."

She looked confused for a moment, before complying. He rose in the air, and slammed his palms together.

" _ **Farore's Gale Blast!"**_

A huge gust of wind came down, and hit the water. Then, the hot air from the fire surrounding them, hit the cool air, and it began to swirl. Link grinned. He was out of magic power from using such a strong spell twice, but the strong mini-hurricane spun strong, making Yellow Diamond struggle to fight. She growled angrily, and continued to swing.

"I want you Crystal Gems to shatter beneath my boot!"

The fusion smirked. "You're gonna need a bigger boot!"

It slammed a gauntleted fist into Yellow Diamond's face, and roundhouse kicked her. She growled, and grabbed the leg, flipping the large fusion over onto the ground. She kept hold on the leg, and began to bend it at an unnatural angle, a calm glare on her face. The leg broke with a sickening crunch, and the fusion of the gems yelled in pain, and began to unfuse, before steeling itself, and staying together.

"No...we can't split now!"

Yellow Diamond grabbed the other leg, but the fusion twisted, and slammed Yellow Diamond's stomach area with a kick, with the broken leg. They grimaced, but got up anyway, leaning heavily on one leg. The fusion chuckled.

"Good thing I took all of those balance courses for dance class."

They laughed to themselves, while Yellow Diamond got up. The fusion immediately stopped, and clutched one of their many hands onto the hilt of Rose's Sword. Yellow Diamond narrowed her eyes. The fusion readied its sword. Yellow Diamond charged forward, and landed a crushing punch directly into the fusion's nose. But neither of them moved. Yellow looked down, and saw the sword stuck into her chest, right beside her gem again. there was a little scuff where it had obviously hit her gem. She furrowed her eyebrows.

"Wait wh-"

She didn't get to finish her sentence, before she poofed as well. Bubbled, and sent away. Just like Blue Diamond. White Diamond looked on, almost impressed.

"I can say that I am surprised that you managed to defeat two diamonds. Although, maybe not through...orthadox means." She sighed. "It is no matter. Compared to me, those two are but children. I have more power in my pinky finger then either of them. Truly perfect."

She clenched her fist, and Link felt a magic spike that was _huge_. He frowned deeply.

"This won't be good. Lapis, she's way too strong for them to handle."

Lapis nodded, fear evident in her eyes. "I know."

White Diamond stepped forward, and the ground trembled with power. She stretched out her hand, and the fusion was engulfed with a white light, and immediately seperated. Link's eyes widened. She took a step towards the littered bodies on the ground, that were groaning, and struggling to rise. She stopped however, when a voice called out.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Link turned around, and Minerva stood there, a determined look on her face, and a bow in her hands, the arrow knocked glowing with an intense light. She whispered under her breath.

" _ **Nayru's Compassion."**_

Suddenly, a dark purple crystal encased all of the crystal gems. White Diamond frowned.

"And who exactly are you?"

Minerva was about to speak, when another voice called out.

"I believe I can answer that. Right, Bearer of Wisdom?"

Gannondorf grinned, and floated beside the much larger White Diamond. She gave him an unimpressed look.

"That's the Bearer of Wisdom. She's almost as pathetic as that little hero there."

Gannondorf didn't lose his composure. "Perhaps. But she is imbued with the power of the godesses. It wouldn't be wise to underestimate her."

Link held a hand up. "Was that a pun?"

White Diamond sighed, and stepped forward. "Very well then. Let's take them."

Gannondorf flashed a smirk. "Actually."

He turned to her, and waved his hand. Purple tendrils of magic came from the ground, and grabbed hold of the huge gem. They dragged her down, and pinned her to the ground. White Diamond struggled, but it was futile. Her calm demeanor was gone. She growled at Gannondorf.

"Demon! What is the meaning of this!?"

The man laughed. "Don't tell me that you actually trusted me! That's rich. Now, back to what I was doing."

He waved his hand away, and knocked Lapis and Minerva back. A wall of flames engulfed the area around them, and Gannondorf crossed his arms, floating in the air.

"So, Hero of Time. Let's see if you've still got it."

He launched a golden orb of power at Link, and he knocked it back. Gannondorf caught the magic, before chuckling.

"Yeah, no, we aren't doing that one again."

He glowed in a dark purple hue, and summoned a sword. It had a black hilt and guard, and the sword itself was dark purple, with red serrated edges. Gannondorf gave it an experimental swing.

"Ah, yes. That'll do quite nicely."

Link grinned in anticipation, and swung the Master Sword around in his hand, said weapon pulsating with power.

"I've been waiting for this for 25 chapters."

 **AAAAAAAAAAND You're going to have to wait until next week for the next one! Hahaha! I'm evil, I know. But I'm trying to stretch out this final battle as much as I can. I want it to be as climactic as possible! But don't worry, things may seem kind of slow here, but they should pick up here. I still have plans for the Diamonds, so don't worry. Just wait, and anticipate. I'll see you all next week, if you're curious to see what happens next, leave a follow, and leave a review telling me what you think. They're very helpful! Stay frosty my friends, and as always...**

 **I'll See You on the Flip-Side~Nicholas Friar**


	27. It Continues

**HELLO EVERYONE! Nicholas Friar here, bringing you the 27th chapter of The Gem of Time! It's been a little longer than a week. Summer time is here. I can write freely most of the time. Maybe I'll upload more often. Maybe not. The story is almost over, but we musn't sorrow! Be happy that we came together to tell this story! Joy, my friends, joy! Leap for joy, and let's just jump right into it. READ ON!**

Link circled Gannondorf, and said Demon King mirrored the movement. Link shot forward, and experimentally crossed swords with him. A shockwave of energy erupted from the epicenter of the attack. Link jumped back, creating a gap between the two, and Gannondorf grinned.

"I've learned from my past mistakes, Hero. There won't be any countering me this time."

Link frowned, and gripped his sword tighter, not saying another word. He launched forward, and the two crossed swords once more. Gannondorf pushed Link back, and the green clad hero flipped upwards gracefully, and swung at the Demon King. Gannondorf managed to bring his sword up in time, and intercepted the attack. Link fell back to the ground, and brought his sword down to Gannondorf's left side. He jumped back, and met Link's sword with his own. Link stepped back again, a grin on his face.

"This is going to be interesting."

Lapis rose, dazed from the attack, and looked over to Minerva, who was watching carefully through the wall of flames. The blue gem frowned.

"Is Link in there?"

Minerva nodded. "Yeah. He and Gannondorf are going at it. It's pretty even at the moment, neither side is seeming to let up."

Lapis looked at the wall of flames. "Can we put these out?"

The white haired teen shook her head. "Gannondorf is smart. They're magic flames. Classic."

Lapis turned to Minerva. "So there's nothing we can do?"

Minerva grinned. "Well, I didn't say that." She picked up her bow from off the ground, and drew it back, aiming it carefully.

"I just need an opening, and I can get him. It'll paralyze him temporarily."

Lapis nodded, and looked through the wall of flames, and saw the two clashing together. An occasional gust of wind came from them, due to the shockwaves that were coming from their swords. She thought for a moment. Maybe there was something she could do?

Link grunted, and held his sword up, just in time for Gannondorf to bring his sword down. He pushed him away, and jumped back. He continued to defend himself, and caught a glimpse of Minerva outside of the wall. He grinned slightly when he saw that she had her bow ready. He slowly rotated their clashing, making Gannondorf's back face the Bearer of Wisdom. Link smirked, and Gannondorf gave him a confused look, before a light arrow embedded itself in the back of his neck. He stumbled from the impact, and dropped to one knee, a couple of orbs of light surrounding him. Link shot forward, his sword glowing as he let out a couple of calculated strikes. Gannondorf rose, and stumbled back, growling and grabbing his sword.

"Damned Hero. You and that little vessel of Hylia are really getting on my last nerve. You were always too clever for your own good."

He grabbed the hilt of his sword, and it split into two swords.

"It's beginning to piss me off!"

Link frowned, and summoned Jade in shield form. She circled around him nervously.

"You're going to have to go on the defensive!"

Link nodded. "Yeah. His strikes will be a lot quicker like this. And he won't have as many openings."

Gannondorf growled, and shot forward, and Link met his strikes with his shield. He swung at Gannondorf's midsection, but the Demon King intercepted and knocked Link's sword from his hand. Link stayed crouched, moving as quickly as he could to block Gannondorf's attacks with his shield. The situation felt awfully familiar, and Link grit his teeth. The Master Sword pulsated softly, and he heard a voice in his head.

' _Master...retrieve me...'_

Link was confused for a moment, but then he lept for the Master Sword, and grabbed it. He rolled up, and onto his feet. The sword pulsated happily, and the voice echoed out.

 _'Yes. Now lift me to the sky.'_

He complied, and Gannondorf charged at him. The sword glowed, and a bolt of lightning struck it. It absorbed the shock, and he brought the sword back down onto Gannondorf, the shockwave of energy knocking him back, and leaving him vulnerable. Link shot forward, and got a few more strikes on the king, before he floated away, and roared in anger.

"ENOUGH!"

He lowered the wall of fire, launched a wave of magic at Minerva, who tried to move, but was hit by it. It struck her down, and Gannondorf lifted his hand up, his peice of the Triforce glowing brightly, and blinding all of them. Once the light died down, Minerva was bleeding from her nose, and her hand had a red scar of the triforce on it. Gannondorf grinned, and flexed his new power, the Triforce of Wisdom glowing brightly alongside the Triforce of Power. Link grimaced.

"Finally...I'm tired of your tricks hero. This is the end. I will get rid of you. Once and for all."

Link didn't say a word, and Gannondorf scoffed. He began to pulsate with power, and morph slowly. A scream of agony sounded out from him, before turning into a deep, dark laugh. He floated to the ground, before rising up, now much taller, standing at a good 16 feet, and with deep red hair. Two long tusks emerged from his mouth, and his nose resembled a pig's snout. He grinned savagely, and his two swords turned into two giant axes. Lapis gasped, and ran to Minerva.

"Minerva?"

She shook the teen, who simply groaned in response. "Lapis...? What happened."

The blue gem frowned. "Gannondorf knocked you out. He got the Triforce of Wisdom, I think."

Minerva's eyes widened, and she sat up suddenly, looking at her hand. When she saw the scar, tears threatened to spill from her eyes.

"This is bad. This is _really_ bad. Gannondorf has the power of two triforces."

Lapis stepped back, and Minerva rose to her feet, a look of grim determination on her face.

"I've got a plan, but I don't know if it'll work."

Link grimaced, and held his sword and shield a little tighter. Jade sat on top of his head.

"This really isn't good."

Link shook his head. Gannondorf could easily overpower him now, so he had to think of a new plan. The Master Sword pulsated gently, and a different voice echoed out. Deeper, more masculine. Resonating power.

 _ **"Let me take control."**_

The world began to spin, and suddenly Link was in his gem. Jade stood beside him, and she looked to him, confused. Suddenly, footsteps echoed out from around them, and they turned to them. A man stood there, looking similarly to Link, but much taller. He had silvery white hair, and pure white eyes. His face was covered in markings, and he had some sort of armor on, covered in symbols of moons and suns. He reached out.

 _ **"Let me fight Demise's Reincarnate."**_

Link frowned, and clasped hands with the man, and the world went white once more. His vision cleared, but he wasn't in control. He could see and hear everything, but he wasn't piloting his body. He felt taller, and much more powerful. He turned to Gannondorf, who looked displeased.

" _ **Demise."**_

Gannondorf-or Demise- narrowed his eyes.

"So, _you've_ come out to play. Very well, I can crush you as well."

Link looked down, and noticed that the Master Sword looked different. Two long blades encircled it in a double-helix fashion, and making the blade look like a DNA strand. The blades went down the hilt, and wrapped themselves around his wrists, and he didn't have a shield. The sword pulsated with power, glowing a deep red on the blades, and a rich blue on the actual Master Sword. He held it up, lowering himself into a battle position.

 _ **"We will see about that, Demon King."**_

Minerva and Lapis looked around the Burning Room, for any signs of Yellow and Blue Diamond's gems. Suddenly, Minerva yelled out.

"There they are!"

Lapis quickly flew up and grabbed them, her heart pounding at the sight of them. She flew down to Minerva, who grabbed one, and they exited the temple. Once they were outside, they noticed that 16 foot tall Gannondorf was now fighting 12 foor tall Link. They were exchanging blows, the new looking Link holding his own quite well against the powered up Gannondorf. Minerva frowned.

"Now we just hope that White Diamond can convince these two..."

They approached the restrained Monarch. She gave them a disinterested look.

"Begone."

Her voice was loud and commanding, despite the clear apathy she had for the situation. It seemed she had gotten over being restrained. Minerva stepped forward.

"Hey, uh. Can you talk these two into getting you out, so we can deal with the Demon King, and then maybe talk things out like diplomats?"

White Diamond was silent. "Excuse me?"

Lapis gulped, and put on her best ass-kisser.

"What she means, Oh great and lustrous one is-"

White Diamond cut her off. "I know well what she means, little Lapis Lazuli. It's probably the most absurd thing I've heard today. You rebels killed my youngest sister."

She said it calmly and monotonely, but the message was clear. _'I'm going to shatter you myself as soon as these bindings are gone.'_

Minerva frowned, and Lapis flinched. This was going to be difficult. The white haired teen released Nayru's Compassion, revealing all the gems laying on the ground, breathing heavily. Steven and Connie were worse for wear, both of their legs bent at an odd angle, and assumingly passed out from the pain. Pearl stood up, and wearily looked to White Diamond.

"What's going on."

Minerva frowned. "Gannondorf has 2/3s of the Triforce, and now both he and Link are powered up and fighting him."

Pearl gasped, and looked over. She drew her spear.

"We've got to help hi-"

Garnet cut her off. "No. Pearl, you and Amethyst need to go to Rose's Fountain and heal these two. They're in very bad shape. Quickly."

They didn't even try to argue, and grabbed the two kids, and quickly brought them to the temple. Garnet looked at the two, and then adjusted her glasses. They sat in silence for a moment, before Garnet spoke up.

"Release them."

 **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND THAT'S A WRAP! I know, this chapter sucks, and we're all just waiting for the end at this point. It's coming, and I'm really trying to keep the story up. Unfortunately, I'm having a lot of trouble with writing this at the moment. I'm just really not feeling the story. Maybe next chapter will get better, but I'm not counting on it. I hope you enjoyed despite of that. Tell me what you thought with a review, and leave a follow if you're curious to see what will happen next. Stay** **frosty my friends, and as always...**

 **See You On The Flip-Side~Nicholas Friar**


	28. It Continues for a little bit longer

**HELLO EVERYONE! Nicholas Friar here bringing you what could very well be the final Chapter of The Gem of Time. I know, it's been forever. I get it. I'd be surprised if you all even read this anymore. There's a drop in quality somewhere along the lines, close to the end. But I'm trying to pick up the slack for y'all. Honestly, I've just got a lot going on, with school and all. I'm a busy body. But that's besides the point. The way I figure, I'll write this chapter, and then maybe an epilogue. We'll see how I feel after this chapter. So, without further ado, my lovely readers, let's just jump right into it. READ ON!**

Minerva frowned. "Release them? You mean Yellow and Blue Diamond?"

The perma-fusion nodded. "Yes, I have an idea. I assume that White Diamond doesn't wish to comply?"

White Diamond spoke up. "No."

Garnet frowned. "Expected."

Lapis frowned. "What's your plan then."

Link circled around the figure of Gannondorf. He was beginning to grow ragged, and it was apparent. Of course, the hero was also beginning to tire, so the two were at the bit of a standstill. Gannondorf growled.

 **"You were always a thorn in my side, Oni. You, Hylia, and that Imp always kept me locked in the Dark World. I've come to reclaim what I want now that they're both gone, yet you continue to stand in my way."**

Link-or Oni-tightened his grip on the long blade he held. _**"This roundabout is getting old for me too, Demise. I plan on ending it once and for all, today."**_

Demise gave hime a curious look. **"Oh, really? How do you plan on going about that."**

The white-clad man grinned at Demise. _**"You'll just have to see for yourself"**_

The two clashed again, and their battle raged on. Demise weilded his two blades with perscision and accuracy, and Oni swung the over-sized Double Helix sword like it was nothing, easily matching the Demon King's speed and accuracy. Oni flipped over Demise, and swung his sword around, creating a small vortex of energy. Demise withstood the blow, and parried, knocking his sword aside, before Oni continued the assult.

Garnet looked at Lapis and Minerva. "It's still in the works, but I looked into the future while we were in your spell. I looked through 14 million futures."

Minerva rose her eyebrows. "In how many of those did we win?"

Garnet frowned, hard. "One."

The two sucked in a sharp breath. Minerva steeled herself.

"Okay, what do we have to do."

The fusion began to explain the plan. "First, we need to get inside the Diamonds' head. Minerva, Lapis, you two did that training with Link, so you'll be able to enter the mindscape. You'll need to convince them to join us. It'll be difficult, and you have a 1 in 14 million chance, but it's our only hope."

Minerva nodded. "I think we can handle that."

The blue gem frowned. "How are we going to convince them."

The white haired girl shrugged. "We'll figure that part out when we get there. If need be, I'll just brainwash them."

Lapis rose an eyebrow. "Can you actually do that."

Minerva grinned. "Who knows?

Lapis frowned a little. "I think it'd probably be better if we were certain about that kind of thing."

The Sheikah grabbed Lapis, and drug her to the temple. "No time, gotta go now. I don't know how much longer we have before Link and Ganondorf destroy the whole beach."

She nodded, and the two ran into the temple

The boiling room was hotter than normal, it seemed to Minerva. She and Lapis stood amongst the hundereds of bubbled gems that surrounded them. Then, she spotted them in a corner.

She turned to the blue gem. "Lapis, could you grab those two for me?"

She nodded. "Yeah, one second."

She flew up, and gently cupped the two bubbles, which were swirling with a multitude of different colors. Minerva gingerly took them from Lapis' hands, and sighed.

"This is the hard part. Here, sit down."

She complied, and soon the two of them were sitting on the floor with their legs crossed, and hands joined. In between them, the two diamonds floated gently, a far cry from how they were when they weren't bubbled. Minerva looked at Lapis.

"Okay, just breath deep, and enter the mindscape with me."

Lapis nodded, and sighed, relaxing. The world swirled, and went dark, and she awoke on the floor, near Minerva. They were in a dark room, and both of their doors were standing tall behind them. Lapis' was still locked tight, but Minerva's was wide open. She looked ahead, and saw two even bigger doors, one a striking gold, and the other almost translucent, the color of water in a lake or a pond. Lapis looked to Minerva.

"I suppose those are it?"

Minerva nodded. "Yeah. The diamonds are incapacitated and unconscious, so we ought to be able to get in with little difficulty."

Lapis' eyebrows furrowed. "Okay, but which one do we go in first?"

Oni stood before Demise, the two of them still locked in a stalemate. The large pig-like man let out a growl.

" **What's your endgame Oni!? Why won't you just lay down and die?!"**

The white haired god just chuckled. _ **"You don't get it do you, Demise? I have to protect these people. It's my duty. You're the only thing standing in my way."**_

Demise growled. **"It's no use Oni. You're running out of time, and you only continue to grow weaker. I can sense it."**

Link frowned from inside the head of the god. He was right. Their attacks were growing slower, and with less force. It seemed like the almost never ending reserve of stamina that Link had was being drained pretty quickly. It definitely wasn't looking good for them, but they had to bide their time. Hopefully the others could see this, and were coming up with a plan of action. He couldn't hold this form much longer. Demise didn't know that thought.

He bounced a little on the balls of his feet, and gripped his sword a little tighter.

 _ **"I could do this all day."**_

Demise chuckled. " **We'll see about that."**

The two continued to clash, and Garnet watched carefully. In all the futures she viewed, there wasn't a chance of Link outlasting Gannondorf long enought for him to beat him on his own. However, there was one way that they could buy just enough time...

She was conflicted though, becasue it ended the same way every time. She didn't know what, she didn't have to. It'd probably be better if she didn't. So she didn't say anything when she summoned her gauntlets, and pounced onto Gannondorf.

Oni went to attack Demise, before something was suddenly doing it for him. He recognized the figure as Garnet. His eyes widened.

"Garnet!"

She looked at him, and yelled. "Get in a good swing for me!"

She punched forward, but her hand was caught. Demise gave her a curious look, and began to apply pressure. She winced, and he squeezed as hard as he could. Garnet yelled in pain, before splitting in two. Ruby landed on the ground, and watched as the dust of Sapphire's gem floated on the wind. She yelled, and ran forward, but was cut off. Link stuck his sword through Demise's shoulder, and the pig-man howled in pain. He turned to her.

 _ **"Fly, little red. Get out of here."**_

It sounded like Link, but it obviously wasn't him. She went to protest, but the look on his face convinced her otherwise. She knew she couldn't handle Gannondorf on her own. She ran towards the Temple, and the two continued their fight. Oni growled at Demise.

 _ **"Mark my words, demon. This is the dawn of your final day."**_

Demise let out another growl. **"Shut your mouth, hero god. You breath your last today."**

Minerva shrugged. "Honestly, it'd probably be best to go to Blue Diamond first."

Lapis frowned a little, but she was right. It would be easier to deal with Blue Diamond than it would be to deal with Yellow. She nodded.

"Alright," she said reluctantly."Let's save the planet."

Minerva grinned. "That's the spirit!"

The two walked right through the translucent door, not even getting wet much to Minerva's pleasure. However, as soon as they enetered, they noticed the strong blue aura encompassing the room. Minerva could sense the magic in the room, but it wasn't meant to affect her. She looked over to Lapis, who had tears in her eyes.

"You okay?"

Lapis shrugged. "I've felt worse. Let's go ahead and get this over with then."

They walked forward, and the hunched over form of Blue Diamond stood before them. Minerva stopped and yelled out.

"Blue Diamond!"

The huge diamond slowly turned around. Her voice was hoarse, and she spoke low.

"What do you want."

Minerva continued. "We need your help."

Blue Diamond gave her a surprised look, before narrowing her eyes.

"And why, pray tell, would that be?"

"Gannondorf betrayed you, and sealed White Diamond. He wishes to take the planet for himself."

Blue Diamond barked out a laugh, and it was jarring to say the least. The gem had always had a depressing vibe, and never had any positive emotions. She turned around.

"Leave me. You only waste my time. Why are you going to kick me while I'm already down? Why not have your precious Rose Quartz help you? Surely she can kill that demon, she killed my sister after all."

Minerva whistled softly. "Jeez she is salty as fuck."

Lapis spoke up. "Rose Quartz is gone."

Blue Diamond paused. "Excuse me?"

The smaller blue gem continued. "Rose Quartz is gone. She gave up her form in exchange for creating a half organic, half gem lifeform."

Blue Diamond frowned. "Why do continue to lie to me. Rose Quartz was in that massive fusion earlier, I saw her gem!"

Lapis frowned. "He got her gem, but he's got an organic body."

The diamond looked confused now. "He?"

The water gem nodded. "He's half human. His name is Steven. Right now, he's at Rose Quartz's healing fountain, being healed from a broken leg your sister gave him. If he were here, he'd tell you about how we need to work together to stop Gannondorf. We could discuss the other things after he was gone."

Blue Diamond seemed stunned, but then shook her head. "Now I know you're lying to me. Rose Quartz gems don't have the ability to heal."

The two froze. "What?"

Blue nodded. "Yes, that was an ability that was exclusive to Pink Diamond."

Their eyes widened. "Steven can heal with his saliva though."

Blue Diamond paused. "What?"

Lapis nodded, and thought back to the time he healed her gem. The memory played out before Blue Diamond, whose eyes widened in surprise.

"No, that can't be."

She looked at the two.

"Quick, I've got to see how the gemstone looks, up close."

The two looked at each other, before shrugging. Minerva thought back to the time where she watched Steven polish his gem, and the memory played before them all. Blue Diamond studied the gem, before gasping, and putting her hand over her mouth.

"It can't be...Pink?"

 **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND THAT'S A WRAP FOLKS! We're in the end stretch now guys. One more chapter is what I'm thinking. It's almost wrapped up. It was a wild ride, but it's finally time to let her go. I hope you enjoyed, remember to follow the story if you want to see what happens next, and leave a review telling me what you think! Stay Frosty my friends, and as always...**

 **See You on the Flip-Side~Nicholas Friar**


	29. Finale

**HELLO EVERYBODY! Nicholas Friar here, bringing you the 29th, and Final Chapter of The Gem of Time! It's been a good run, guys, but I think it's time I finally put this guy to rest. It's kind of crazy that I've been writing this story for almost two years, and that doesn't even count all the previous versions that were never posted. I think the oldest one dates back to sometime during 2015, honestly, which probably puts this concept to almost three years old. And now, I'm finally done with it. Well, at least I will be whenever I finish this chapter. So, I suppose I shouldn't delay this any longer. Without further ado, my guys and gals...READ ON!**

Minerva stared in confusion. "Pink? As in, Pink Diamond Pink?!"

Blue Diamond nodded. "There's no mistaking it. That's definitely her gem. Rose Quartz gems didn't look like that."

Lapis looked between the two in shock. "So...Steven is Pink Diamond?"

The large blue monarch stood up, and looked between the two. "We have to go. Yellow needs to see this, now."

The three walked out into the entrance to the mind scape. Yellow Diamond's door stood, tall and proud, reflecting the gem herself. Blue looked at the door, and simply pushed it open. Minerva leaned over to Lapis.

"You know, you'd think it'd be more difficult than that."

Lapis shrugged, and the two followed behind Blue Diamond closely. The room itself reminded Lapis of the Moon Base, with a bunch of computers, and a tall chair in front of them, facing away from them. Blue Diamond stopped behind the chair, but before she could say anything, Yellow Diamond spoke up.

"What do you want."

Blue Diamond frowned. "Yellow. We need to talk."

The large yellow gem turned to face them, and stepped out of her chair. She walked forward, and stopped just short of Blue Diamond. She glanced down towards Lapis and Minerva, and frowned distastefully.

"And what, pray tell, do we have to talk about?"

Blue didn't lose her composure. "Pink is still here."

Yellow Diamond raised her eyebrow, and her frown deepened. "Excuse me?"

The blue monarch turned to Lapis. "Show her the memory."

Lapis frowned a little at the order, but materialized the memory of Steven healing her gem, and showed it to Yellow Diamond.

Yellow frowned. "That is certainly most strange. Rose Quartz gems definitely did not have the ability to heal wounds like that."

Minerva smiled a little, but then frowned at her next words.

"However, I am not fully convinced. This could be a trick, after all. How do we know these memories aren't fake, or some illusion?"

Blue Diamond frowned. "Yellow, I'd recognize that gem pattern anywhere. It may be rotated to only show the top, but there's no mistaking that that gem is Pink's!"

Yellow Diamond looked down at the two. "Show me the gem."

Minerva pulled up her memory as well, and Yellow Diamond looked closely. Once it was over, she closed her eyes.

"After all these years," she mumbled under her breath,"and you were hiding right under our noses the whole time? We're going to have a long talk after this, Pink."

Minerva stepped forward. "As much as this is definitely an interesting development, we have important matters at hand."

Yellow rose an eyebrow. "What?"

The former Bearer of Wisdom continued. "Gannondorf has stolen the triforce of Wisdom, and imprisoned your sister, White Diamond. Right now, The Bearer of Courage is fighting him to keep him at bay. But with two pieces of the Triforce, that may turn out to be impossible for him. That's why we need your help to defeat him."

Yellow Diamond frowned. "Why should we?"

The fact that she didn't outright say no made Minerva feel a little better, and she was about to respond, but Lapis beat her to it.

"And let him destroy and enslave this entire world? Is that really much of a better alternative? Not only will you have willing let Pink's memory and world go, but there's nothing saying that Gannondorf won't destroy you along with it. The only way we can beat this guy is if we combine our strengths!"

Minerva looked over to Lapis in surprise, but shrugged. "I mean, she's definitely right."

Blue Diamond stepped forward. "I'll help you, if only for Pink's sake."

All three of them looked over to Yellow Diamond, who was frowning. She stayed silent, seemingly debating whether or not to join them. Blue narrowed her eyes a little, and Yellow sighed in defeat.

"Fine, but don't expect me to join your little rebel cause after this. It's just because there's too much at risk if I don't."

Minerva grinned, and clapped her hands together.

"Great! Well, we don't want to keep everyone waiting!"

The two quickly exited the mindscape, and popped the bubbles holding the Diamonds hostage.

When Pearl, Amethyst, Steven, and Connie came back from Rose Quartz's Fountain, they saw Ruby standing alone in the temple. Confused, Pearl walked up to her.

"Ruby?"

The short red gem turned around, and had tears in her eyes. Pearl looked surprised.

"What's wrong, where's Sapphire?"

All four them listened in horror as Ruby told them how Sapphire was shattered by Gannondorf, without a hint of remorse or hesitation. They had tears well up, and Steven shook with anger.

"That's going way too far. No one deserves to be shattered like that. It just isn't right. He needs to be stopped. NOW!"

Connie looked at Steven in surprise, as she hadn't seen him get this angry before. It was justifiable though, hearing about the shattering of Sapphire. Ruby spoke up.

"How? We definitely can't take him ourselves! He caught White Diamond with ease, and she easily overpowered us!"

A voice spoke from behind them.

"I believe we have a little extra fire power on our side this time."

They all turned around and saw Minerva and Lapis, with Blue and Yellow Diamond hunched over behind them. Yellow grimaced a bit.

"It's much too small in here."

Blue Diamond nodded, and the other gems stepped back in fear. Ruby looked at them in surprise.

"You actually convinced them? How?"

Minerva glanced towards Steven. "That discussion can wait. Right now, we have to focus on Gannondorf."

They regained their composure, and nodded. Steven grinned a little. "Let's get this guy!"

They walked outside, and saw that Link and Gannondorf were still going strong.

Oni sidestepped one of Demise's attacks, and swung his large sword towards his midsection. The Demon King blocked it, and jumped back. The fact that this battle had lasted as long as it had amazed Link, who had never fought someone for this long. However, it was beginning to take it's toll on both sides. While Oni had begun to get tired a while ago, he wasn't losing his energy as fast as Demise was now. That one shot had been a pretty good one, and it took a lot from the demon to continue fighting with a stab to his sword arm. It was far from ending the fight, however. Link felt like his body was about to collapse, and judging from the feral snarl on Demise's face, he felt like he was getting close as well. Oni got distracted, and got a deep cut across his face. He grunted in pain, unable to open one of his eyes. He could feel the warm drip of blood across his face. It was deep. He probably lost the eye. His vision was blurry, and he struggled to block Demise's next attack. He stumbled back, and prepared himself for the next swing.

But it seemingly never came.

He looked up, and saw that the sword had been stopped mid-air by a large green hand. The figure that it belonged to was easily over 100 feet tall, and stood with a dark green cape, and a light green helmet. There were two diamond shaped gems on the chest, and Oni looked at them in surprise. The Diamonds? Since when where they on their side. He didn't look a gift horse in the mouth, however, and regained his composure. He shot forward, and got a good cut in across his torso. The wound sizzled from the magic that his sword was imbued with. Demise let out a screech of pain, and broke free from the hold of the huge Green Diamond. He growled angrily, and trapped them similarly to how he trapped White Diamond.

 **"GAHH! I DON'T HAVE THE TIME FOR THIS. YOU DIE IMMEDIATELY, ONI!"**

Oni simply gripped his sword tighter, and didn't say a word. He shot forward, and despite being tired, it finally seemed that the magic that he was continuously using, as well as his wounds was finally taking its toll on him. He was much slower, and much weaker. Demise was at his limits, which was a perfect time for Oni to turn the fight in his favor. He continued to slash mercilessly, and with a particularly strong right hand slash, Demise stumbled, and fell to his knees. The magic disappated from the Diamonds, and he was breaking heavily. His form flickered.

 **"I W** on't **LE** t **Y** o **U** w **IN!"**

Oni frowned in front of him. He yelled to the others.

 _ **"Minerva!"**_

The Sheikah girl nodded, and put her hands together.

" **HYLIA'S WRATH!"**

A huge beam of white magic shot out of her hands, and hit Gannondorf/Demise in the back, causing him to yell in pain, and fall forward. The beam dissipated, and Oni/Link shot forward. The DNA helix blades retracted from the Master Sword, and the white eyes of Oni changed to Link's striking blue ones, as he delivered the final blows. With the last blow, he buried the Master Sword hilt deep into Gannon's forhead. He stepped back, and grinned.

" _ **J**_ u _ **s**_ t _**L**_ i _ **k**_ e _**O**_ l _ **d**_ T _ **i**_ m _ **e**_ s."

The aura of Oni disappeared from Link, and he began to shrink. His signature green tunic reappeared, and his gem resurfaced on his chest. The face markings faded away, and his hair changed back to the familiar blonde that it always was. He looked at the paralyzed form of Gannondorf below him, and placed his hand on the head of the Demon King. It glowed golden for a moment, before two large triangles appeared before him, floating gently in the air. The others walked over, and looked in awe at them

Minerva spoke up. "So that's it huh? The triforce."

Link shook his head. "Not quite."

He held his hand up, much to everyone's confusion, and it glowed golden as well.

The third, and final triangle floated from his hand, and joined the other two, the Triforce glowing a brilliant white, and exerting its full power. Link smiled forlornley.

"The completed Triforce, powerful enough to grant any wish."

A voice echoed in his mind.

' _You know what needs to be done.'_

He gently placed his hand on the Triforce, and closed his eyes.

"O, great goddesses, hear my wish, and make it so..."

The next part he said was in a language that none of them understood. He stopped talking, and the Triforce glowed a brilliant white once more, this time being bright enough to make everyone avert their eyes. Once the light died down, the triforce turned a dark gray.

Steven looked at it in confusion. "What's going on?"

The Triforce began to break apart, its dust flying away on the wind. Link watched with a fond smile, and watched as the last of it disappeared forever. Soon after, Gannondorf's body began to disappated as well, the Master Sword leaving along with it. However, once it was gone, dust began to gather together, and slowly, the form of Sapphire was built. Ruby looked on with teary eyes. The short blue gem stumbled forward, and placed a hand to her head.

"Ugh, what happened?"

Ruby ran forward, and tackled her in a hug, wiping her teary face into Sapphire's shoulder. The short blue gem looked in surprise, but returned the hug anyway.

"Ruby?"

Ruby sniffled happily. "I thought you were gone forever!"

Sapphire seemed taken aback. She smiled softly though, and hugged the red gem a little tighter. "Well, I'll never leave again then."

The two glowed bright white, and fused into Garnet once again, who grinned, and hugged Link.

"Thank you." She gently whispered into his ear.

He smiled, and nodded. Suddenly, he clutched his chest in pain, and stumbled forward. Lapis came to him, and held him forward in concern.

"Link?"

He pulled his hand away, and showed the green gem of Jade sitting in his palm. He grinned lightly, and suddenly the gem began to glow. It took form, and Jade fell to the ground in surprise. She put her hands gently in the sand, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"Finally. I'm finally back!"

Link grinned at her, and she grinned back. Lapis looked at him worriedly.

"Are you okay?"

The green clad hero looked at her. "Yeah, I'll live. But there is something that I needed to tell you."

The blue gem looked at him curiously. "What is it?"

He suddenly grabbed her, and planted his lips on hers. She looked surprised, and definitely confused, before melting into it, and placing her arms around his neck. The two pulled away, both blushing like mad. Garnet wolf whisteled, and Link grinned like a fool.

"I'm deeply and madly in love with you."

She blushed even deeper. "O-oh w-wow."

Amethyst barked out a laugh. "She's speechless! Greenie must be a pretty good kisser then!"

Link wrapped his arm around her, and looked at them all. "Today marks the dawn of a new day in this world. A day where we can come together as friends, where previously we came together as enemies."

The Diamonds shared a look, and Link looked over to Lapis.

"Maybe even something more."

They all cheered, and Link hugged Lapis a little closer to him. Steven hugged Connie, both of them blushing when they realized, and everyone else celebrated in similar fashions. Link looked around, and then whispered to Lapis.

"You know, we're missing Peridot."

Lapis looked around. "Huh, you're right."

They shared a look, and Lapis shrugged.

"Eh, we'll tell her later."

Link chuckled, and smiled softly at the blue gem. She blushed softly, and kind of spoke up.

"Uh, h-hey. Can y-you d-do that th-thing again? Y-you know, wh-wher-"

Link rose an eyebrow. "You want me to kiss you again?"

Lapis nodded. "Yeah, that."

The green clad hero grinned, and nodded. "Of course I can."

He brought their lips together again, this time a lot more prepared. Minerva grinned, and turned to Garnet.

"Young love, am I right?"

Garnet nodded. "Definitetly."

She then realized she was talking to a 16 year old girl say that about two beings that were thousands of years old, probably even older than her. She shrugged though.

Steven looked at White, Yellow, and Blue Diamond in surprise.

"So. I'm Pink Diamond?"

They nodded, and Pearl came over as well.

"They're right. You're mother had me swear a silence vow, saying that I'd never say anything about it, so she could live her life as Rose Quartz."

Steven ran a hand through his hair. "Well, that certainly changes a lot."

White Diamond nodded. "We'll have to get you to Homeworld right away. There are about 5,000 years worth of paper work you need to catch up on."

Steven blanched. "Yeah, we'll have to see about that."

Link looked over to Minerva. "So, what are you going to do now?"

Minerva looked at him. "I think I'm gonna go home for a while. In a couple years, I might come back. I think I wanna see what this world's got going on, you know? I saw this wild thing about a place called Gravity Falls, in Oregon, that I definitely want to check out. What about you?"

Link glanced over to Lapis, who was now talking to Amethyst.

"You know, I think I might stick around for a while. They might need a little help cleaning things up."

Minerva chuckled, and looked at the destroyed beach front.

"Yeah, probably."

The water calmly lapped against the shore, and the sun shined warmly on them all. It was a far cry from the battle that had been taking place a few hours ago. Link sighed softly.

They had finally achieved peace.

 **AAAAAAAAAND THAT'S A WRAP FOLKS! That's right guys, that's it. I really liked how it wrapped up. Maybe a little rushed, but other than that, I enjoyed writing it. I've got to say though, it's been a good time guys. I really do think that we've had some good times here. So, as my final words to all of you, I have to say, I hope you enjoyed the story. Hopefully enough to leave a favorite, and tell me what you thought in the reviews. Stay frosty, my friends, and for the final time...**

 **See You On The Flip-Side~Nicholas Friar**


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